Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2007 Sep;24(9):682-3.
doi: 10.1136/emj.2006.034280.

Varicella zoster induced cardiac dysfunction: a case report

Patrick Dennison  1 , Eleanor Zaremba
Affiliations
Case Reports

Varicella zoster induced cardiac dysfunction: a case report

Patrick Dennison et al. Emerg Med J. 2007 Sep.

Abstract

A case is presented of cardiac arrhythmia associated with varicella zoster infection, affecting a 34-year-old man. The patient presented with episodes of seizure-like activity, which were subsequently shown to be caused by ventricular fibrillation. The literature regarding this unusual complication of varicella zoster infection is discussed, as it affects both children and adults. Physicians who may face this condition, in accident and emergency, acute medicine, critical care medicine and infectious diseases, should all be aware of this serious complication.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

References

    1. Fairley C, Miller E. Varicella‐zoster virus epidemiology—a changing scene? J Infect Dis 1996174(Suppl 3)S314–S319. - PubMed
    1. Hackel D B. Myocarditis in association with varicella. Am J Pathol 195329369–379. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Morales A R, Adelman S, Fine G. Varicellar myocarditis. A case of sudden death. Arch Pathol 19719129–31. - PubMed
    1. Coppack S W, Doshi R, Ghose A R. Fatal varicella in a healthy young adult. Postgrad Med J 198561529–531. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types