Hemorrhagic stroke and cerebral venous thrombosis: rare neurological sequelae of chickenpox infection

Abstract

Chickenpox (varicella) is primarily a disease of childhood which occurs due to infection with varicella-zoster virus (VZV). Primary VZV infection is rare in adults due to exposure in early childhood in our country. In adults, it is associated with some serious systemic and neurological complications which can follow both primary infection and reactivation of VZV. Neurological sequelae caused by primary VZV infection are rare and include encephalitis, aseptic meningitis, myelitis, acute cerebellar ataxia, Reye syndrome, Ramsay Hunt syndrome, and rarely stroke and cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT). VZV infection of cerebral vessels produces vasculopathy and hypercoagulable state, leading to complications such as stroke and CVT. We hereby report cases of two immunocompetent young adults who developed acute hemorrhagic infarction in the brain and CVT following chickenpox infection.

Keywords

• Chickenpox
• cerebral venous thrombosis
• stroke
• vasculopathy