Potential benefit of acyclovir for chickenpox acquired from household contacts. The Italian Acyclovir-Chickenpox Study Group.
As a part of a trial of acyclovir treatment of chickenpox in otherwise healthy children, the assessment of disease features and evolution showed a significantly more severe clinical picture at onset in the 215 patients with intrafamiliar exposure to varicella, compared with the remaining 486 with community-acquired infection, although the disease course proved similar by the third day of antiviral therapy. Children with household exposure to varicella are likely to suffer from a more severe disease, and might especially benefit from acyclovir treatment.
Manfredi
R
R
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Bologna, Italy.
Chiodo
F
F
D000212:Acyclovir / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000293:Adolescent; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002644:Chickenpox / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000212:Acyclovir