Unilateral Oral Herpes Zoster in an Elderly Female: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Ahlam Ali AlZahrani,1 Abdulrahman Esam Azhar,2 Saif Yaseer Ashram,3 Abdulmajeed Osama Alhindi2 1King Fahad General Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 2King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 3King Abdulaziz Specialist Hospital, Taif, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Ahlam Ali AlZahrani, King Fahad...

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Main Authors: AlZahrani AA, Azhar AE, Ashram SY, Alhindi AO
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Dove Medical Press 2025-04-01
Series:Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.dovepress.com/unilateral-oral-herpes-zoster-in-an-elderly-female-a-case-report-and-r-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-CCID
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author AlZahrani AA
Azhar AE
Ashram SY
Alhindi AO
author_facet AlZahrani AA
Azhar AE
Ashram SY
Alhindi AO
author_sort AlZahrani AA
collection DOAJ
description Ahlam Ali AlZahrani,1 Abdulrahman Esam Azhar,2 Saif Yaseer Ashram,3 Abdulmajeed Osama Alhindi2 1King Fahad General Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 2King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 3King Abdulaziz Specialist Hospital, Taif, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Ahlam Ali AlZahrani, King Fahad General Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Tel +966 55 735 2275, Email Ahlamzahrani.1@gmail.comAbstract: Herpes zoster, caused by the reactivation of varicella-zoster virus, typically presents with a unilateral, dermatomal rash. This case report describes a presentation of oral herpes zoster in a 64-year-old female patient. The patient presented with painful mouth ulcers confined to the right half of the posterior two-thirds of the hard palate, not crossing the midline. The diagnosis was based on clinical presentation, and treatment included systemic oral acyclovir and pain management with paracetamol. The patient showed substantial improvement with complete healing of the ulcers. This case highlights the importance of recognizing various presentations of herpes zoster, particularly in the oral cavity. It emphasizes the effectiveness of prompt antiviral therapy and appropriate pain management in treating oral herpes zoster. The report also underscores the potential role of risk factors such as advanced age and chronic conditions in herpes zoster susceptibility. This case contributes to the literature on oral manifestations of herpes zoster and stresses the need for clinical vigilance in diagnosing and managing such cases.Keywords: herpes zoster, varicella-zoster virus, oral lesion, unilateral lesion, clinical diagnosis, acyclovir treatment, antiviral therapy
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spelling doaj-art-fb91fde627164c429a13e5d6aad8e9cb2025-08-20T02:20:12ZengDove Medical PressClinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology1178-70152025-04-01Volume 1810451050102513Unilateral Oral Herpes Zoster in an Elderly Female: A Case Report and Review of the LiteratureAlZahrani AAAzhar AEAshram SYAlhindi AOAhlam Ali AlZahrani,1 Abdulrahman Esam Azhar,2 Saif Yaseer Ashram,3 Abdulmajeed Osama Alhindi2 1King Fahad General Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 2King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 3King Abdulaziz Specialist Hospital, Taif, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Ahlam Ali AlZahrani, King Fahad General Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Tel +966 55 735 2275, Email Ahlamzahrani.1@gmail.comAbstract: Herpes zoster, caused by the reactivation of varicella-zoster virus, typically presents with a unilateral, dermatomal rash. This case report describes a presentation of oral herpes zoster in a 64-year-old female patient. The patient presented with painful mouth ulcers confined to the right half of the posterior two-thirds of the hard palate, not crossing the midline. The diagnosis was based on clinical presentation, and treatment included systemic oral acyclovir and pain management with paracetamol. The patient showed substantial improvement with complete healing of the ulcers. This case highlights the importance of recognizing various presentations of herpes zoster, particularly in the oral cavity. It emphasizes the effectiveness of prompt antiviral therapy and appropriate pain management in treating oral herpes zoster. The report also underscores the potential role of risk factors such as advanced age and chronic conditions in herpes zoster susceptibility. This case contributes to the literature on oral manifestations of herpes zoster and stresses the need for clinical vigilance in diagnosing and managing such cases.Keywords: herpes zoster, varicella-zoster virus, oral lesion, unilateral lesion, clinical diagnosis, acyclovir treatment, antiviral therapyhttps://www.dovepress.com/unilateral-oral-herpes-zoster-in-an-elderly-female-a-case-report-and-r-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-CCIDherpes zostervaricella-zoster virusoral lesionunilateral lesionclinical diagnosisacyclovir treatmentantiviral therapy
spellingShingle AlZahrani AA
Azhar AE
Ashram SY
Alhindi AO
Unilateral Oral Herpes Zoster in an Elderly Female: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology
herpes zoster
varicella-zoster virus
oral lesion
unilateral lesion
clinical diagnosis
acyclovir treatment
antiviral therapy
title Unilateral Oral Herpes Zoster in an Elderly Female: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
title_full Unilateral Oral Herpes Zoster in an Elderly Female: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
title_fullStr Unilateral Oral Herpes Zoster in an Elderly Female: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
title_full_unstemmed Unilateral Oral Herpes Zoster in an Elderly Female: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
title_short Unilateral Oral Herpes Zoster in an Elderly Female: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
title_sort unilateral oral herpes zoster in an elderly female a case report and review of the literature
topic herpes zoster
varicella-zoster virus
oral lesion
unilateral lesion
clinical diagnosis
acyclovir treatment
antiviral therapy
url https://www.dovepress.com/unilateral-oral-herpes-zoster-in-an-elderly-female-a-case-report-and-r-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-CCID
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AT azharae unilateraloralherpeszosterinanelderlyfemaleacasereportandreviewoftheliterature
AT ashramsy unilateraloralherpeszosterinanelderlyfemaleacasereportandreviewoftheliterature
AT alhindiao unilateraloralherpeszosterinanelderlyfemaleacasereportandreviewoftheliterature