Kaposi's varicelliform eruption. Absence of ocular involvement

Abstract

The eponym Kaposi's varicelliform eruption (KVE) describes a characteristic syndrome of disseminated vesicopustules that occasionally complicates a number of dermatoses. Among these, the most common is atopic dermatitis, and the inciting agent is most often herpes simplex virus (HSV). Very few reports of ocular herpetic disease exist among the many cases of KVE reported in the literature, despite extensive cutaneous involvement with herpetic lesions. We describe 10 patients with KVE, none of whom have developed evidence of herpetic ocular disease despite widespread facial involvement in all patients. All random conjunctival swab cultures performed in 3 patients were positive for growth of viable HSV. Although ocular exposure to HSV may commonly occur in KVE, ocular pathology due to this virus does not appear to be a common sequela.