Preeruptive Cerebellar Ataxia in Varicella

Varicella, or chicken pox, has an annual incidence of approximately 3 million cases, mainly in the pediatric population. Neurologic complications are well described and usually follow the onset of typical chicken pox lesions. We report the case of a 3-year-old boy who presented with cerebellar ataxia before the onset of chicken pox rash. He recovered without sequelae. Cerebellar ataxia is the most common neurologic complication of varicella infection and rarely precedes the development of a typical rash. [Belcher RS: Preeruptive cerebellar ataxia in varicella. Ann Emerg Med April 1996;27:511-513.]