This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Varicella syndrome (congenital)

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Foetal infection with varicella was first described in 1947. The varicella syndrome is the result of varicella zoster infection early in pregnancy.

  • characteristic features of fetal varicella syndrome include segmental areas of skin loss or scarring; limb hypoplasia and/or paresis; reduced birth weight
  • less common features include microcephaly, neurological anomalies (e.g. hypotonia) and ophthalmological abnormalities that may not be evident at birth.

Foetal varicella syndrome is believed result from viral reactivation in utero rather than the initial fetal infection, with subsequent replication in fetal ganglia, neurones and innervated tissues.

Reference:

  1. BMJ (1993), 306, 1079
  2. Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin 2005; 43(12):94-5.

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.