Varicella Pneumonia

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Abstract
THERE HAS BEEN considerable interest during the past several years in the pneumonic processes associated with viral diseases. Recurrent epidemics of influenza have provided the primary stimulus to Investigations1,2in this area. Of the viral illnesses causing pneumonia, varicella lends itself well to study, particularly because of the ease with which an accurate clinical diagnosis may be established without detailed laboratory investigation. In spite of this, there has been confusion in the medical literature as to the prevalence of varicella pneumonia. Earlier reports3,4emphasized the rarity and severity of this complication while others5-7more recently have observed that varicella pneumonitis could be mild (often unrecognized) and suggested that the condition may be more prevalent than generally suspected. That varicella pneumonia is not common in childhood was demonstrated by Bullowa and Wishik8who observed only 21 cases of pneumonia in 2,534 hospitalized children with chickenpox. Mermelstein et al

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