Varicella Pneumonitis

Varicella-zoster virus pneumonitis.

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection occurs primarily as chickenpox or herpes zoster. The VZV infection is generally considered self-limiting, with little associated morbidity and mortality. Fatal infections due to VZV were reported in the latter years of the 19th century and early in the 20th century. It was not until 1942 that VZV pneumonitis was recognized as a clinical entity with potenti...

Usual interstitial pneumonitis responsive to corticosteroids following varicella pneumonia.

Varicella pneumonia usually resolves after treatment, and occasionally miliary calcification develops on the roentgenogram of the chest years afterward. A case of varicella pneumonia is presented that followed a previously unreported course. In this case, usual interstitial pneumonitis (UIP) developed. The pneumonitis responded well clinically and radiographically to corticosteroid treatment. T...

Varicella pneumonitis in adults: frequency of sudden death.

P RIMARY CHICKENPOX PNEUMONIA IN the adult was first described by Waring and associates’ in 1942 and the subsequent literature includes reports of at least 150 cases. The treacherous nature of this disease and its significant mortality ratet are repeatedly emphasized by most observers. Less fully appreciated, however, is the remarkable frequency with which sudden death occurs. Death has been de...

Varicella Zoster Virus Pneumonitis and Brainstem Encephalitis Without Skin Rash in an Immunocompetent Adult

Varicella zoster virus (VZV) pneumonitis and brainstem encephalitis developed in an immunocompetent adult without rash. Chest computed tomography exhibited nodularity; lung biopsy revealed multinucleated giant cells, Cowdry A inclusions, VZV antigen, and DNA. Varicella zoster virus central nervous system disease was verified by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) anti-VZV IgG antibody with reduced serum/...

Pneumonitis