[Acyclovir therapy in varicella/zoster diseases in immunocompromised children with cancer]

21 patients, aged 1 to 15 years, who developed manifest varicella/zoster-virus infection while on chemotherapy for malignant disease were treated with acyclovir. Drug dosage was 10 mg/kg every eight hours for 5 days as a one hour infusion. The clinical course of the infection in all patients was mild. 1 to 4 (median 2,2) days after beginning of acyclovir therapy the formation of new lesions stopped. Within 4 to 8 (median 5,9) days all vesicles were scabbed . In 13 patients with fever in the beginning the temperature fell within 2 to 6 (median 2,6) days of treatment. The development of visceral involvement was not observed during or after acyclovir therapy. Acyclovir was well tolerated. Tests of the hematopoietic, liver and renal functions before and after acyclovir therapy revealed no adverse effects of the drug. Also the immunologic response seemed not to be impaired. With one exception, all patients investigated had antibodies against varicella/zoster-virus after recovery. In order to prevent varicella infection after household exposure two immunocompetent patients were treated prophylactically with acyclovir tablets (400 mg 5 times a day for 5 days). Both children did not exhibit manifest varicella/zoster infection, but five weeks later they had antibodies against varicella/zoster-virus (KBR 1:10, resp. KBR 1:20).