Varicella challenges: A case of respiratory tract complications in an elderly patient
Abstract
Abstract Varicella, caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), is rarely reported in the elderly but often complicates with pneumonia. In this case report, we present a case of varicella pneumonia in the elderly. A 60-year-old man presented to the emergency room with vesicles filled with clear fluid that had appeared all over the body for the past four days. The patient also reported fever, headache, pain when swallowing, and itching. Initially, the rash consisted of pink macules that progressed to papules, vesicles, pustules, and crusts. The patient experienced a cough and shortness of breath one day before the hospital visit but did not report any chest or abdominal pain. Notably, the patient's two grandchildren had a history of chickenpox. The patient had been living with diabetes for five years and was undergoing treatment with insulin injections. The patient was also an active smoker for 40 years. On physical examination, several vesicles with varying degrees of redness were observed, along with yellow-black crusts, pustules, and erosions. Diagnostic tests revealed multinucleated giant cells on a Tzanck smear; pulmonary inflammation with thickening of the right hilum on a chest X-ray; extended-spectrum beta-lactamases Klebsiella pneumoniae in the sputum culture; and elevated hemoglobin A1c, blood sugar level, and liver and kidney function markers on laboratory examination. Based on the clinical findings, the patient was diagnosed with varicella, community-acquired…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a case report, done in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Structural and topological analysis of thiosemicarbazone-based metal complexes: computational and experimental study of bacterial biofilm inhibition and antioxidant activity
- Toward better cures for Mycobacterium abscessus lung disease
- Challenges for global antibiotic regimen planning and establishing antimicrobial resistance targets: implications for the WHO Essential Medicines List and AWaRe antibiotic book dosing
- Design, Synthesis and In vitro Antitubercular Effect of New Chalcone Derivatives Coupled with 1,2,3‐Triazoles: A Computational Docking Techniques
- Upregulation of pmrA, pmrB, pmrC, phoQ, phoP, and arnT genes contributing to resistance to colistin in superbug Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from human clinical samples in Tehran, Iran
- Whole-genome sequencing of clinical isolates of Citrobacter Europaeus in China carrying blaOXA−48 and blaNDM−1
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.