Fatal varicella hepatitis in an asthmatic adult after short-term corticosteroid treatment.
A 28-year-old male patient, treated with prednisone for bronchitis with sibilant rales, developed fever with abdominal pain and generalized vesicular rash after coming in contact with varicella-infected children. He was hospitalized after having a seizure. Laboratory values revealed hepatitis and rapidly fulminant hepatic insufficiency with disseminated intravascular coagulation. Despite acyclovir treatment, the patient died 4 days after admission. Clinical presentation could evoke a Reye's syndrome, but liver biopsy showed massive coagulative necrosis. This report demonstrates the increased risk of complicated varicella associated with the use of corticosteroids, even for a short period of time.
Hyvernat
Hervé
H
Medical Intensive Care Unit, Hôpital Universitaire Archet, 151 route de Saint Antoine de Ginestière, 06202 Nice, France. hyvernat.h@chu-nice.fr
Roger
Pierre-Marie
PM
Pereira
Cécile
C
Saint-Paul
Marie Christine
MC
Vandenbos
Frédéric
F
Bernardin
Gilles
G