Herpes zoster ophthalmicus in a pediatric patient: a case report

Abstract

The herpes virus (HHV) is a heterogeneous family, which has eight distinct types of viruses, and may cause different manifestations in humans. This case report will address the infection in a pediatric patient with type 3 (HHV-3), called varicella zoster virus (VZV). Patient, male, eight years old, arrived at the emergency room, accompanied by his mother, complaining about the appearance of papular lesions on the left hemiface and 38°C fever for one day. He received an initial assessment indicating the use of symptomatic drugs and topical Acyclovir, followed by hospital discharge. He returned to the emergency room claiming headache and vomiting. He was admitted to the pediatric ward for CSF collection, which showed no changes, and intravenous Acyclovir was started. He had a secondary bacterial infection in the lesions, and antibiotic therapy with Oxacillin was started. He evolved with good clinical response, being discharged for outpatient follow-up. The present report exposed herpes zoster infection in an eight-year-old patient, an age that is described in the literature as having a low incidence of this disease. Also, the case elucidates the mistake in some conducts that were taken in relation to the workup, which caused a delay in the treatment, offered risks to the patient and could have generated more serious complications.