Herpetic gingivostomatitis in a 70-year-old man.

We report a case of herpetic gingivostomatitis that was remarkable because it occurred in a 70-year-old man. The patient had multiple small ulcers throughout the mouth that were culture-positive for herpes simplex virus type 1 and responded rapidly to acyclovir. Whether this condition was a case of primary herpes or an unusual presentation of secondary disease was not resolved. Nevertheless the case serves as a reminder that age, although it may make a diagnosis seem implausible, does not alone exclude it.