title: Fatal varicella hepatitis in an asthmatic adult after short-term corticosteroid treatment.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Medical Intensive Care Unit, Hôpital Universitaire Archet, 151 route de Saint Antoine de Ginestière, 06202 Nice, France. hyvernat.h@chu-nice.fr
authors.forename: Hervé
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hyvernat
authors.forename: Pierre-Marie
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Roger
authors.forename: Cécile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: Marie Christine
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Saint-Paul
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vandenbos
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bernardin