A weird thumb infection in a child: Could it be herpes?
Kadir İsmail Dere1
, Kaan Gürbüz2, Fatih Doğar1
1 Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Kahramanmaraş Sütçü Imam University Medical Faculty, Kahramanmaraş, Turkey
2Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Kayseri City Training and Research Hospital, Kayseri, Turkey
Keywords: Child, hand, herpes, infection.
Abstract
Herpes simplex virus (HSV) has two known serotypes and can infect any cutaneous location of the body. Almost all HSV clinical symptoms are well known. Hand HSV infections are less well-known in adults and even less known in children. A three-year-old male child was hospitalized to a tertiary pediatric emergency room with growing swelling and discomfort in his thumb and a rare pediatric herpetic hand infection. His viral culture and pathology findings confirmed HSV infection. Inquisitiveness revealed the child's status as a thumb sucker. In conclusion, pediatric herpetic hand infections are rare and can be easily missed. Children with HSV infection without an underlying illness are self-limiting and respond well to medical treatment.
Citation: Dere Kİ, Gürbüz K, Doğar F. A weird thumb infection in a child: Could it be herpes?. Jt Dis Relat Surg Case Rep 2022;1(2):43-46.
The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.
The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.