Herpes Zoster Presenting As Cutaneous Vasculitis in the Upper Extremity.

The varicella-zoster virus (VZV), a member of the Herpesviridae family (HHV-3), is the pathogen responsible for causing herpes zoster, the skin eruption known as shingles. This report describes a rare presentation of herpes zoster involving cutaneous vasculitis in the unilateral upper extremity in an immunocompetent patient. Histologic evaluation confirmed a diagnosis of leukocytoclastic vasculitis and yielded a positive VZV immunoperoxidase stain. An approach to histologic evaluation of this case is discussed.