Herpes Zoster Infection In Childhood: Prospective Evaluation of 21 Cases

Background: Herpes zoster (HZ) is a disease caused by the reactivation of varicella zoster virus, which remains latent in the dorsal root ganglion. HZ is a rarely seen disease in childhood. HZ is more common in pediatric patients with immunosuppressive drug use, immunodeficiency and malignancy. This study examined the clinical characteristics of children with HZ. Methods: Twenty one pediatric patients admitted to our dermatology clinic between January 2017 and July 2018 and diagnosed with HZ were evaluated prospectively. Patients were evaluated in term of age, sex, affected dermatome, history of previous varicella, varicella vaccine, accompanying disease, complication development and treatment. Results: Twelve (57.1%) of the 21 pediatric patients with HZ were male and 9 (42.9%) were female. The mean age of the patients was 10.1 years (6-16 years). Fourteen (66.6%) patients had thoracic dermatome involvement, 5 (23.8%) patients had cervical involvement, and 2 (9.5%) patients had lumbar dermatome involvement. Two patients were receiving systemic chemotherapy for ALL. In our study 71.4% of patients had a history of varicella and there was no history of varicella vaccine in any of the patients. None of the patients developed dissemination and no major complication was observed. Conclusion: In conclusion, while HZ is also seen in healthy children, children who are immunosuppressed are more affected. Similar to adult disease, thoracic dermatomal involvement is the most common. Complications such as postherpetic neuralgia due to HZ in healthy children are rarely seen