title: Eczema Herpeticum: Would You Know It If You Saw It?
abstract: Eczema herpeticum is an easily missed entity most commonly seen in the pediatric population and carries the risk of systemic compromise and a 10% mortality rate. Clinicians should maintain high clinical suspicion when encountering children or young adults with a history of atopic dermatitis or other erosive dermatoses and who present with vesicular lesions, punched-out erosions, and systemic symptoms. We present 3 severe cases of eczema herpeticum that were potentially overlooked and demonstrate the need for elevated awareness to avoid potential pitfalls.
authors.affiliation: From the *School of Medicine and †Department of Dermatology, New York Medical College, New York, NY; ‡Dermatology, The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, Austin, TX.
authors.forename: Maximilian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blanter
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vickers
authors.forename: Marian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.forename: Bijan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Safai
mesh_terms: D000212:Acyclovir / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000293:Adolescent; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005076:Exanthema; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007617:Kaposi Varicelliform Eruption / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000212:Acyclovir