acyclovir and Gastritis

A 35-year-old woman who had previously undergone a lung transplantation presented with severe abdominal pain and vomiting. The gastroscopy showed diffuse ulcerative gastric lesions. Tests for varicella zoster virus and Epstein-Barr virus via polymerase chain reactions (PCR) on endoscopically obtained gastric biopsies were found to be positive and confirmed varicella gastritis. Intravenous antiviral therapy with acyclovir was administered resulting in a normalization of all clinical symptoms, especially of abdominal pain and inflammation parameters.

Topics: Acyclovir; Adult; Antiviral Agents; Chickenpox; Female; Gastritis; Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis; Herpesvirus 3, Human; Humans; Immunocompromised Host; Lung Transplantation

The varicella zoster virus (VZV) is a very rare cause of gastritis. Gastritis caused by VZV can be presented as abdominal pain, vomiting. Most of the cases reported with varicella gastritis in the literature are immunocompromised patients with various kinds of malignancy, and most of these patients are adults. Here we report an adolescent girl with acute abdominal pain. The girl was immunocompetent. Her endoscopically taken biopsy material revealed varicella, and her gastritis was healed with acyclovir therapy. This is a very rare condition and not frequently reported in the literature. The authors want to drive attention to the fact that varicella gastritis can be seen in immunocompetent children, the presentation can be nausea, vomiting and/or (severe) abdominal pain. Serological studies may be less helpful than tissue studies, so interventional procedures should be done.

Topics: Abdominal Pain; Acyclovir; Adolescent; Antiviral Agents; Biopsy; Chickenpox; Female; Gastritis; Gastroscopy; Herpesvirus 3, Human; Humans; Treatment Outcome

Topics: Acyclovir; Adult; Antiviral Agents; Biopsy; Female; Gastric Mucosa; Gastritis; Herpes Zoster; Herpesvirus 3, Human; Humans; Proton Pump Inhibitors

We report on a 54-year-old male patient with an aggressive T cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with abdominal manifestation undergoing autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation after high-dose chemotherapy in April 2003. About 4 months after transplantation, he developed severe upper abdominal pain. Ultrasound examination, X-ray, computed tomography of the abdomen and cardiac diagnostics could not explain the symptoms. While empiric therapy with high-dose acyclovir was started, we could document herpetic lesions in the gastric antrum by endoscopy. The epigastric pain rapidly decreased within several days after the start of acyclovir therapy. No herpetic skin lesions were observed at any time during the disease. This report demonstrates the importance of viral-induced gastritis in the differential diagnosis of severe abdominal pain in patients receiving autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation.

Topics: Abdomen, Acute; Acyclovir; Antiviral Agents; Diagnosis, Differential; Gastritis; Gastroscopy; Herpes Zoster; Herpesvirus 3, Human; Humans; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin; Male; Middle Aged; Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation; Pyloric Antrum; Transplantation, Autologous

Topics: Acyclovir; Adult; Bone Marrow Transplantation; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Gastric Mucosa; Gastritis; Gastroscopy; Herpes Zoster; Humans; Immunocompromised Host; Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute; Risk Assessment; Treatment Outcome