title: Sacral herpes-zoster infection presenting as sciatic pain.
abstract: Acute herpes-zoster infection is a painful dermatomal lesion that can be manifested by a wide array of neurologic symptoms. We present a 55-year-old female with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, who developed a left sciatic pain involving the S roots. Two weeks later, the patient developed fever and vesicular rash over the left gluteal area. Herpes-zoster infection was diagnosed and confirmed by the presence of immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies against varicella-zoster. The pain and rash resolved, after treatment with acyclovir. In the appropriate clinical setting, sacral herpes-zoster infection ought to be considered in the differential diagnosis of new-onset sciatic pain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Hadassah University Hospital, Mount Scopus, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ablin
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Symon
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mevorach