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Complete heart block in a child with varicella
1Department of Emergency Medicine, Albany Medical College, NY.
The American Journal of Emergency Medicine
|November 1, 1993
Insights
Varicella myocarditis in a child can cause severe heart block and shock. Prompt treatment with intravenous acyclovir and pacing led to a full recovery without lasting heart damage.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Cardiology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Varicella (chickenpox) is a common viral infection.
- Myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle, can be a rare complication of varicella.
- Cardiac involvement in pediatric varicella is often underdiagnosed.
Abstract:
A case of varicella myocarditis in a previously healthy 6-year-old child was reviewed. The patient presented with third-degree heart block and shock as the sole manifestation of her cardiac involvement. Bradyarrhythmias required temporary transvenous pacing. Intravenous acyclovir was used. The patient recovered without permanent sequelae. The natural history, clinical presentation, and treatment of varicella myocarditis are reviewed.