Cutaneous lumbosacral Herpes Simplex virus among patients hospitalized for an advanced disease
Background Cutaneous Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections are regularly observed in lumbosacral areas, and many are refractory to appropriate initial diagnosis and management. Objective We aimed to evaluate the incidence of lumbosacral HSV among advanced disease patients, to estimate their surviv...
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| Published in: | Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Vol. 26; no. 4; pp. 417 - 422 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Oxford, UK
Blackwell Publishing Ltd
01-04-2012
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Get full text |
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| Summary: | Background Cutaneous Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections are regularly observed in lumbosacral areas, and many are refractory to appropriate initial diagnosis and management.
Objective We aimed to evaluate the incidence of lumbosacral HSV among advanced disease patients, to estimate their survival index from HSV onset, and to describe their clinical and virological characteristics.
Methods A prospective, descriptive study was conducted in a palliative and continuous care centre, collecting patients with suspected cutaneous HSV lesions in the lumbosacral area.
Results From 2008 to 2010, 24 patients were included: 19 had HSV‐2 confirmed by at least one laboratory test. Incidence of HSV‐2 was 2.67% (1.73–4.33%, 95% CI). No age, gender or survival differences were observed compared to the global population in the centre. Most lesions were detected early as vesicles (14/24) or small ulcers. Sensitivity was good for all diagnostic methods (62.5% for immunofluorescence and 79.2% for culture and/or PCR). Outcome was favourable under classical antiherpetic drugs and topical antiseptic dressing.
Conclusions Cutaneous lumbosacral HSV remains uncommon in patients hospitalized with advanced diseases. Most of these patients suffer from pressure ulcers or other dermatitis; we advocate increased attention of this diagnosis to avoid skin complications and added pain. |
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| Bibliography: | istex:55599C246FA4F819CBA5613588E8B70D4CE613BF ark:/67375/WNG-R0RV0CNZ-V ArticleID:JDV4085 Conflict of interest The authors declare no conflict of interest. Funding sources No funding was obtained for this work. ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-1 content type line 23 ObjectType-Article-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 |
| ISSN: | 0926-9959 1468-3083 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/j.1468-3083.2011.04085.x |