A Rare Case of Herpes Zoster with C7 Involvement Mimicking Dermatitis: An Elusive Diagnosis

DISCOVERIES (ISSN 2359-7232), 2025, volume 13

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_{CITATION: Nizam MA, Iqbal A, Ayyazuddin M, Farooq U. A Rare Case of Herpes Zoster with C7 Involvement Mimicking Dermatitis: An Elusive Diagnosis. Discoveries 2025, 13(4): e221. DOI: 10.15190/d.2025.20}

_{A Rare Case of Herpes Zoster with C7 Involvement Mimicking Dermatitis: An Elusive Diagnosis}

Muhammad Arslan Nizam¹, Amna Iqbal², Saima Chaudry³, Meher Ayyazuddin^4, *, Umar Farooq⁵

• ¹ Department of Medicine, CMH Lahore Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan
• ² Department of Medicine, Wah Medical College, Wah Cantt, Pakistan
• ³ Department of Medicine, Rawalpindi Medical University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
• ⁴ Department of Internal Medicine, Bayonne University Hospital, NJ, USA
• ⁵ Knights Medical Associates, Bensalem, PA, USA

* Corresponding authors: Meher Ayyazuddin, Department of Internal Medicine, Bayonne University Hospital, NJ, USA, Email: meherayyaz@gmail.com

_Abstract

Herpes Zoster commonly involves thoracic and cranial dermatomal distributions. It is caused by reactivation of the latent varicella-zoster virus (VZV) due to immunosuppression or increasing age. However, uncommon regional presentation for shingles such as the palmar creases, may lead to a misdiagnosis. We report an unusual case of C7 dermatome presentation, prematurely mistaken as contact dermatitis or scabies due to lack of a clustered appearance. Prevention with vaccination is key and so is avoiding delays in diagnosis due to late complications that may arise.

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