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Human herpesvirus 6 involvement in paediatric drug hypersensitivity syndrome

J Ahluwalia1, K Abuabara, M J Perman

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Division of General Pediatrics, Section of Dermatology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 3550 Market Street, 2nd Floor, Philadelphia, 19104, PA, U.S.A.

The British Journal of Dermatology
|November 5, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV6) positivity in children with drug hypersensitivity syndrome (DHS) indicates a more severe illness. Corticosteroid treatment may shorten illness duration in these patients.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Dermatology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV6) positivity may worsen drug hypersensitivity syndrome (DHS) severity.
  • Systemic corticosteroids are speculated to prolong DHS duration in HHV6-positive patients.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare DHS severity in pediatric patients with and without HHV6 reactivation.
  • To evaluate the efficacy of systemic corticosteroid treatment in HHV6-positive DHS patients.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective case series of 29 pediatric inpatients with DHS.
  • Patients were tested for HHV6 and stratified by HHV6 status and corticosteroid treatment.
  • Disease severity assessed by hospital length of stay (LOS), febrile days (Tfeb), and cessation of progression (CTP).

Main Results:

  • HHV6-positive patients had significantly longer LOS, Tfeb, and CTP compared to HHV6-negative patients.
  • Systemic corticosteroids were administered to all HHV6-positive and most HHV6-negative patients.
  • In HHV6-negative patients, corticosteroids significantly reduced CTP and showed a trend toward reduced LOS and Tfeb.

Conclusions:

  • HHV6 positivity is linked to more severe DHS in children.
  • Systemic corticosteroids may reduce illness severity and duration in DHS patients, particularly in HHV6-negative cases.
Abstract

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