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Patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) have an increased risk for cutaneous viral infections, which range from mild (molluscum contagiosum) to serious, disseminated infection (herpes simplex, variola, and vaccinia). One such infection, eczema herpeticum (EH), can be complicated by keratoconjunctivitis, viremia, and, less commonly, multiorgan involvement with meningitis and encephalitis. Eczema vaccinatum can be life-threatening, but the risk to AD patients after smallpox vaccination is unknown (see JW Dermatol Jun 29, 2007).
Researchers studied clinical and biological data to explore whether a unique phenotype separates patients with and without history of eczema herpeticum. They identified 134 AD patients with EH (ADEH+), 419 without EH (ADEH…