PRIMARY varicella pneumonia in adults is a rare and severe disease. It is the purpose of this report to present a case, review the literature, and discuss the typical clinical picture.
REPORT OF A CASE
A 25-year-old Negro housewife was admitted to the University of Virginia Hospital on March 22, 1954, in acute respiratory distress. Four days prior to admission she had noted a vesicular eruption, beginning behind the ears and spreading over her face and upper chest. She consulted her local physician on the first day, who told her she had chickenpox and gave her acetylsalicylic acid (Aspirin). The following day she developed fever, dyspnea, and cough productive of profuse amounts of mucoid blood-flecked sputum. The rash spread over her entire chest, arms, and abdomen, and she had increasing dyspnea and prostration. Her physician referred her to the hospital on the fourth day of her illness. She had never