Small ulcer causes patient to be in coma for a month without waking up

(Dan Tri) - The old woman was hospitalized with a high fever, headache and a small wound under her chest. She was diagnosed with encephalitis complications due to shingles, a very rare condition.

On June 24, the Hospital for Tropical Diseases (HCMC) said that the unit's Viet-Anh Infection Department is treating two patients with complications of encephalitis caused by shingles.

The two patients include Mrs. DTP (87 years old, from Lam Dong ), and Mr. NMH (63 years old, living in Binh Thanh district, Ho Chi Minh City).

The old woman was in a coma for a month after being hospitalized (Photo: BVCC)

Encephalitis due to herpes zoster is a rare disease. However, the number of cases has been increasing recently.

Since the beginning of the year, the Viet-Anh Infection Department has received about 4-5 cases. Among them, there are cases with very small lesions, typically the 2 cases above.

Both patients were admitted to the hospital with typical symptoms of encephalitis including high fever, severe headache, and altered mental status.

Mrs. P. had a small wound under her left breast, while Mr. H. only had a scab, making diagnosis by routine examination very difficult.

Currently, after a month of treatment, Mr. P. is still unconscious, needs a ventilator and his condition is still serious. Mr. H. is awake but his body is still weak, needs continuous oxygen support, cannot move independently and has no plans to be discharged from the hospital.

Shingles is caused by the Varicella-zoster virus, which also causes chickenpox.

After chickenpox, the virus remains latent in nerve ganglia and reactivates when the immune system is weakened. The virus can travel along nerves or through the blood, crossing the blood-brain barrier, causing damage to nerve cells, glial cells and blood vessels in the brain.

At this time, the disease can cause complications such as vasculitis, cerebral infarction, cerebral hemorrhage or encephalitis.

Despite the availability of specific antiviral medications, complications of shingles such as encephalitis, pneumonia, or memory loss can last for months to years, severely affecting quality of life.

To prevent the disease, doctors at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases recommend that people should supplement proper nutrition, maintain hygiene, avoid smoking, maintain a healthy lifestyle and reduce stress. In addition, people can also get vaccinated to prevent the disease.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/vet-loet-nho-khien-benh-nhan-hon-me-mot-thang-chua-tinh-20250624131534891.htm