Rash with atypical pneumonia: Varicella pneumonia in a young immunocompetent male

Abstract

Varicella pneumonia is a serious complication of varicella infection. It occurs more often in adults than in children, although it is now infrequently seen since the introduction of the chickenpox vaccines. In immunocompetent adults, varicella pneumonia has a reported incidence of about 1 in 400 cases of varicella infection and it also carries significant mortality. Here, we report a case of varicella pneumonia in a young male who was immunocompetent and had no comorbidities. This case teaches us to be always careful and thorough with our clinical assessment and to think about the alternative etiologies for the cause of atypical pneumonia even during the times of the COVID-19 pandemic and not get swayed by the sheer numbers of coronavirus infections.

Keywords

• acyclovir
• atypical pneumonia
• chickenpox
• herpes zoster
• varicella pneumonia