Cutaneous and oral mucosal lesions in a cardiac transplant recipient

Solid organ transplantation no longer is considered a rare procedure. After undergoing transplants, patients will require both routine and emergent oral health care, and it can be provided safely in private dental offices. Transplant recipients are immunosuppressed, and for this reason clinicians should be alert for oral abnormalities in such patients.

A 53-year-old man with a history of cardiac transplant and multiple medical comorbidities had unusual mucosal plaques, oral discomfort and skin lesions. As a result of his compromised immune system, the clinical presentation of his condition-which proved to be herpes zoster (HZ) virus, also called "shingles"-was atypical, resulting in a delay of the definitive diagnosis.

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HZ is a serious infection in the immunocompromised population. Timely diagnosis and treatment of this condition is necessary to prevent treatment delay and medication errors.