Cerebral infarction in an adult with disseminated varicella

A 26-year-old patient with disseminated varicella developed a cerebral infarction 11 days into the illness. Cerebral infarction, typically delayed, is primarily reported in association with zoster with only one previous report in primary varicella. The mechanism is speculative and thrombosed vessels with and without vasculitis have been demonstrated. Our patient showed mild evidence of systemic alteration in immune function, suggesting the possibility of vasculitis.