Pediatric Chickenpox Differential Diagnoses

Updated: Aug 24, 2021
  • Author: Kirsten A Bechtel, MD; Chief Editor: Russell W Steele, MD  more...
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DDx

Diagnostic Considerations

Conditions that should be considered in the diagnosis of pediatric varicella include the following:

  • Drug reactions

  • Insect bites

  • Measles

  • Meningococcemia (can be confused with hemorrhagic varicella)

  • Other common viral exanthems (eg, coxsackievirus, echovirus)

  • Monkeypox

  • Smallpox (no cases since 1949; virus officially destroyed in 1996)

  • Papular urticaria

  • Dermatitis herpetiformis

  • Eczema herpeticum

Differential Diagnoses