CLINICAL CASE OF CHICKENPOX COMPLICATED BY VARICULAR ENCEPHALITIS IN A 12-YEAR-OLD CHILD

Abstract

Chickenpox remains one of the most common childhood infections, often found in young children. The highest prevalence of chickenpox is observed in countries with low immunization coverage, including Kyrgyzstan. In children with a complicated background: early age, history of other herpes infections, HIV infection, cancer, taking immunosuppressive therapy; genetic characteristics of the body (neurological diseases in the family), as well as in the presence of a viral or bacterial infection simultaneously with chickenpox, there is a high risk of developing such a complication as chickenpox encephalitis. Encephalitis can contribute to the development of epilepsy and disability of the child. Despite the low incidence of chickenpox encephalitis, this complication continues to pose a threat to the health of children and adults, which makes it an important medical problem.
In this article, we present a clinical case of chickenpox complicated by varicella encephalitis in a 12-year-old child who was hospitalized in the specialized department of the Republican Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital of Bishkek, where he received treatment for 10 days and was discharged with a recommendation for further observation by a neurologist.
In the patient we observed, chickenpox was severe with abundant rashes on the skin and mucous membranes, pronounced symptoms of intoxication and neurological symptoms (unstable in the Romberg pose, tremor of the limbs, scanned speech, unsteadiness of gait). It should be noted that in the presence of symptoms of encephalitis, the magnetic resonance imaging picture was without pathological changes, which is possibly due to early detection and seeking medical help (4th day of illness) and timely treatment.