Atopic dermatitis (AD) patients tend to develop viral infections such as herpes simplex, molluscum contagiosum or verrucae vulgares more frequently than nonatopic patients. In addition, disseminated viral infections occur in the skin lesions of AD. Though these diseases are relatively rare and little is known about their specific pathogenesis, some of them are among the true medical emergencies in dermatology. This contribution covers eczema herpeticum, the disseminated viral infection of an eczematous skin disease with the herpes simplex virus, as it is the clinically most important viral complication of AD.
Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.