CASE REPORT   

Minerva Pediatrica 2001 December;53(6):581-6

Copyright © 2001 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: Italian

Disseminated intravascular coagulation during chickenpox. Description of a case in a child

Tucciarone L., Tomassini A., Colasanti A., Sabbi T., Iacobini M., El Hachem M.

The case of a healthy and immunocompetent five-year-old boy, who developped a disseminated intravascular coagulation during chickenpox is described. Disseminated intravascular coagulation manifestations were extremely severe and included macroscopic hematuria, necrotic purpura and cerebrovascular thrombosis. The outcome in this patient was a complete recovery. Nevertheless, the possibility of a seriously complicated course of chickenpox even in low-risk children subgroups suggests that the Varicella-Zoster virus infection should not be underestimated. More accurate information about the impact of chickenpox and its complications on the population is needed, in order to provide a contribution for the debate about the costs associated with this disease and the potential benefits of both the early antiviral therapy and the vaccinal prophylaxis.