Herpes zoster and varicella in children with Hodgkin's disease.

Thirty-nine episodes of herpes zoster and varicella in 94 children with Hodgkin's disease were studied to determine the incidence and complications of these infections and their effect on the prognosis of Hodgkin's disease in children under multimodal treatment. Twenty-nine children (31%) developed herpes zoster and seven (7%) had varicella. Three children had herpes zoster on two occasions. All children with varicella had uncomplicated infections. One patient died and three had visceral complications secondary to herpes zoster infections. Disseminated herpes zoster in nine children (10%) was more often associated with recurrent or active Hodgkin's disease and led to more complications than localized herpes zoster. Although varicella-zoster infection does not impair the prognosis of Hodgkin's disease, it is a potentially fatal infection and an affected child deserves vigorous treatment and support.