Lege Artis Medicinae

MAY 20, 2011

[Acute hepatitis caused by herpes simplex virus 1]

PATYI Márta, SEJBEN István, VÁGÓ Tibor, CSERNI Gábor, KISS Antal Zsolt, KISS József Zoltán

[INTRODUCTION - Herpes simplex virus is a rare and severe disease, which is often lethal, especially in children and those who underwent transplantation. Rapid diagnostic help determines therapy and facilitates recovery of the patient. CASE REPORT - The authors present a case of a 46-year-old patient with no underlying disease, in whom the diagnosis of hepatitis caused by herpes simplex-1 virus was suggested after histological evaluation of a blind liver biopsy specimen. The diagnosis was later confirmed by immunomorphological examination. The patient’s hepatitis resolved following acyclovir therapy, but he developed nosocomial pneumonia, sepsis caused by Candida albicans and anuria. The patient recovered due the joint efforts of an infectologist, a pathologist, an intensive care specialist and a nephrologist. CONCLUSION - During examination of the patient, immune suppression was not indicated either by HIV-serology or bone marrow biopsy. thus the findings were presumably explained by a generalised infection in an immunocompetent host. In the case described, histological examination of the liver biopsy was a life-saving procedure, because it allowed timely and efficient treatment.]

HUN 2011;21(05)