Acute Medicine & Surgery (Jan 2023)

Elsberg syndrome caused by herpes zoster in the sacral region with preceding urinary retention

  • Daiki Nishiyama,
  • Satoshi Yoshimura,
  • Chihiro Shimizuhira,
  • Nobuhiro Ikeda,
  • Nobuhiro Miyamae,
  • Yasuyuki Sumida

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/ams2.824
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 1
pp. n/a – n/a

Abstract

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Background Elsberg syndrome (ES) is an acute‐onset lumbosacral radiculitis with myelitis caused by a herpes virus infection. Case Presentation We present a case of a 77‐year‐old woman who was admitted with urinary retention prior to genital rash. The patient was diagnosed with ES and treated with intravenous acyclovir 250 mg every 8 h for 1 week. Conclusion Physicians should consider ES in patients with voiding dysfunction, as preceding neurological symptoms may lead to a misdiagnosis. Considering the adverse effects of the antiviral drug, its dosage should be according to the causative virus of the ES as well as the patient's age and medical history.

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