Disseminated cutaneous herpes zoster and multiple cerebral infarcts in an adult with diabetes mellitus

Ischemic stroke is a rare complication of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection. We present the case of a patient with a medical history of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) who experienced disseminated cutaneous VZV infection followed by multiple cerebral infarcts associated with VZV vasculopathy. Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed multiple hyperintense lesions over the bilateral deep white matter and basal ganglia. A skin biopsy revealed small-vessel leukocytoclastic vasculitis with neutrophilic, lymphocytic, and eosinophilic infiltration. This case report describes the rare finding of cutaneous leukocytoclastic vasculitis in VZV infection and highlights that VZV infection is an uncommon but critical etiology of cryptogenic stroke in patients with DM.