Muzaffar Khadijah H, Albadri Abdullah
General Practice, Batterjee Medical College, Jeddah, SAU.
Dermatology, King Fahad General Hospital, Jeddah, SAU.
Cureus. 2025 Apr 7;17(4):e81825. doi: 10.7759/cureus.81825. eCollection 2025 Apr.
Herpes zoster (HZ), caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), typically presents with a painful, vesicular rash along a dermatomal distribution. This case reports an unusual presentation in a 44-year-old female with hypothyroidism and urticaria, who presented with a solitary, linear erythematous plaque on the inner thigh, associated with burning pain. Initial topical treatments were ineffective, but prompt antiviral therapy with acyclovir led to complete resolution within six weeks. The case highlights the diagnostic challenges posed by atypical presentations of HZ and the importance of early diagnosis and treatment to prevent complications, such as postherpetic neuralgia. It also emphasizes the need to consider HZ in differential diagnoses even in the absence of typical vesicular eruptions to facilitate timely intervention and improved patient outcomes.
带状疱疹（HZ）由水痘-带状疱疹病毒（VZV）重新激活引起，通常表现为沿皮节分布的疼痛性水疱疹。本病例报告了一名44岁患有甲状腺功能减退和荨麻疹的女性的不寻常表现，她在内侧大腿出现了一个孤立的线性红斑斑块，并伴有灼痛。最初的局部治疗无效，但及时使用阿昔洛韦进行抗病毒治疗后，六周内完全消退。该病例突出了HZ非典型表现带来的诊断挑战，以及早期诊断和治疗以预防并发症（如带状疱疹后神经痛）的重要性。它还强调，即使没有典型的水疱疹，在鉴别诊断中也需要考虑HZ，以便及时干预并改善患者预后。
