ArticleBMJ case reports2020
Disseminated herpes zoster with acute encephalitis in an immunocompetent elderly man.
Article in BMJ case reports, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.
- Neonatal varicella and early-onset herpes zoster following maternal infection at term: a case report.Journal of medical case reports · 2026Article
- The Unusual Suspect - Herpes Zoster as the Culprit for Severe Abdominal Pain. A Case Report.Journal of community hospital internal medicine perspectives · 2025Article
- Article
- Disseminated Zoster Involving the Whole Body in an Immunocompetent Patient Complaining of Left Leg Radiating Pain and Weakness: A Case Report and Literature Review.Geriatric orthopaedic surgery & rehabilitation · 2022Article
- Late neurosyphilis and VZV meningoencephalitis coinfection.BMJ case reports · 2021Article
- Varicella-Zoster Virus Encephalitis in an Immunocompetent Adult with Disseminated Cutaneous Herpes Zoster after Testosterone Booster Supplements: Case Report.Case reports in dermatologyArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) encephalitis typically occurs in immunosuppressed populations such as in patients with HIV/AIDS, transplantation and autoimmune disease. However, it can also occur in healthy hosts. We present the case of an immunocompetent patient who presented with a clinical picture of VZV encephalitis with the sole precipitating factor of advanced age. We want to stress the importance of including VZV in the differential diagnosis for encephalitis in healthy elderly hosts. In patients with a clinical diagnosis of encephalitis, the presence of herpes zoster rash increases the likelihood of VZV encephalitis. However, the absence of a skin rash may not exclude the diagnosis. In general, there is an elevated risk of transient ischaemic attack and stroke associated with the diagnosis of herpes zoster infection. Early treatment is essential to prevent complications, including death.
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Registered trials
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