Encephalitis and polyneuritis complicating varicella zoster infection.

A 70-year-old patient is described who developed symptoms and signs of a Guillain-Barré-type neuropathy and encephalopathy beginning 6 weeks after a cutaneous varicella zoster eruption. The patient made a complete symptomatic recovery over a period of 4 months. It is suggested that the delayed onset neuropathy and encephalopathy in this patient may have been due to an allergic inflammatory response to an antigen common to peripheral and central myelin.