ISSN 2757-8135 | E-ISSN 2757-9816
European Eye Research
Bilateral herpes simplex epithelial keratitis in a patient with pemphigus foliaceus [Eur Eye Res]
Eur Eye Res. 2022; 2(4): 199-202 | DOI: 10.14744/eer.2022.29974

Bilateral herpes simplex epithelial keratitis in a patient with pemphigus foliaceus

Turhan Mammadov1, Canan Asli Utine2
1Department of Opthalmology, Dokuz Eylul University Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Türkiye
2International Biomedicine and Genome Institute, Izmir, Türkiye

Bilateral herpetic keratitis is a rare event and can occur in atopy, measles, and immunodeficiency. Long-term use of systemic steroids for any autoimmune condition also creates iatrogenic immunodeficiency. A 62-year-old female with Pemphigus Foliaceus who had been on long-term steroids presented with bilateral epithelial herpetic keratitis. She received topical ganciclovir 5 times daily for a total of 10 days and intravenous (iv) acyclovir 5–10 mg/kg for 2 weeks for diffuse periocular skin involvement. In 2 weeks, corneal lesions completely disappeared with intact epithelium and no stromal involvement. Treatment was discontinued as no further ocular signs were observed. Peroral antiviral prophylaxis was not initiated since systemic steroids were also discontinued. Three months after resolution, she underwent bilateral cataract surgeries with per-operative and post-operative systemic prophylaxis during topical steroid use. Long-term systemic steroid use seems to be a predisposing factor for bilateral herpetic ocular infections.

Keywords: Herpes virus, keratitis; pemphigus.

Turhan Mammadov, Canan Asli Utine. Bilateral herpes simplex epithelial keratitis in a patient with pemphigus foliaceus. Eur Eye Res. 2022; 2(4): 199-202

Corresponding Author: Canan Asli Utine, Türkiye
Manuscript Language: English