Doctors from Hangzhou Normal University reported a rare case of bladder rupture caused by herpes zoster in an elderly man. The report was published in the journal Infection and Drug Resistance.
The 77-year-old patient took antiviral and pain medication for herpes zoster for a week before going to the emergency room, according to the report. Shingles (herpes zoster) is caused by the varicella-zoster virus. After a person is infected with chickenpox, the virus remains dormant, persists in the nervous system, and reactivates, causing the painful rash of fluid-filled blisters typical of shingles.
Four days before his admission, the patient had difficulty in emptying his bladder. Doctors at the hospital found that his stomach was swollen and painful. Also, heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate were abnormally high.
A CT scan of the man’s abdomen revealed a large amount of fluid in his abdomen and pelvis. Doctors suspected he had a rupture in his bladder. The man was transported to the intensive care unit, where a catheter was inserted. Bloody urine flowed continuously from his bladder for three hours. Doctors were then able to examine the man’s bladder and found a nearly 2 centimeter tear in the organ.
The patient fully recovered after surgery and several weeks of treatment with antiviral drugs.
According to a report published in the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, bladder rupture is relatively rare, affecting 4% of all patients with herpes zoster and 28% of patients with a rash around the lower spine and sacrum.