Recurrent Lumbosacral Herpes Simplex in the Bedridden Hospitalized Patient

A clinical variant of genital herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection, recurrent lumbosacral HSV, occurs in bedridden hospitalized patients. We want to call attention to an uncommon pattern of HSV infection in the hospitalized bedridden patient seen by the dermatology consultation service in a large university hospital. HSV is characterized by a mixture of recurrent groups of herpetic vesicles in all stages of development, with multiple, persistent hyperpigmented patches bilaterally distributed over the lumbosacral (buttocks) area.