Uncommon presentation of a common disease: Herpes Zoster manifesting as acute constipation
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Abstract:
Herpes Zoster is primarily a dermatologic condition, and its gastrointestinal
complication is rarely reported. Acute constipation is a very unusual
complication of Herpes Zoster. In this case report, we describe a 59-year old
male who was admitted with complaints of abdominal distension and severe
constipation for five days, accompanied by multiple itchy vesicular eruptions
in the area of T7-T12 dermatomes for four days. The patient was diagnosed with
visceral neuropathy leading to acute constipation due to Herpes Zoster. He was
managed conservatively with antiviral medication and laxatives and showed
dramatic improvement in his symptoms. Early recognition of this complication of
Herpes Zoster is very important because timely diagnosis can result in
preferable outcome with conservative treatment only, thus avoiding
unnecessary surgical intervention.
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