Low-dosage cytarabine therapy for herpes zoster with pneumonia.
Disseminated herpes zoster infection is frequently fatal. Cytarabine (cytosine arabinoside), a drug of variable efficacy, has offered some hope in the treatment of this condition. In this case of disseminated herpes zoster infection with pneumonia, there was remarkable recovery after low-dosage cytarabine infusion. The findings suggest that doses of the drug not exceeding 30 mg/sq m of body surface per 24 hours (30 mg/sq m/24 hr) may well be virucidal but not cytohematotoxic.
D001706:Biopsy; D001917:Brachial Plexus; D003561:Cytarabine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006562:Herpes Zoster / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007263:Infusions, Parenteral; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009437:Neuralgia / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D011024:Pneumonia, Viral / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D011859:Radiography; D012867:Skin / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014221:Triamcinolone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use
D003561:Cytarabine; D014221:Triamcinolone