title: [Varicella in pregnancy after the 20th week of amenorrhea].
abstract: We report five cases of varicella pneumonia among ten otherwise healthy pregnant women who were admitted in our hospital between 1986 and 1991 with chickenpox. The precise frequency of this rare complication is not well known actually but analysis of the literature shows that the mortality rate is about 20%. Beside the problem of the fetal varicella syndrome, the other complication is the severe varicella of the neonate which can appear when varicella occurs in the mother within 5 days before, and 2 days after delivery. When primary varicella infection occurs during pregnancy clinical examination must be repeated for a week after occurring of the exanthema to find elements of severity significance. Acyclovir is the drug of choice (10 to 15 mg/kg every 8 hours) for 7 days when pneumonia is present. Varicella-zoster immunoglobulin is useful for prophylaxis and for neonates with high risk of severe varicella.
authors: Centre Hospitalier de Tourcoing, Services des Maladies Infectieuses et du Voyageur.
authors: J C
authors: JC
authors: Pierre
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Senneville
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Ajana
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Santre
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Chidiac
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Mouton
mesh_terms: D000212:Acyclovir / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002644:Chickenpox / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008428:Maternal Mortality; D011024:Pneumonia, Viral / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second
chemical_list: D000212:Acyclovir
vernacular_title: Varicelle au cours de la grossesse après la vingtième semaine d'aménorrhée.