A 52-year-old woman, with a history of left breast cancer treated surgically in 2011, came to the emergency room due to mastalgia and one-day fever. On examination, she presented a swollen, erythematous and painful left breast. With a suspected diagnosis of mastitis, antibiotic therapy was initiated. However, the rapid progression of the condition was surprising, and hours later the lesions had extended to the back, following the distribution of a dermatome, with the appearance of grouped papulovesicular lesions that led us to suspect a herpes zoster infection of the breast (Fig. 1). Treatment was started with acyclovir, which provided good patient progress and resolution of symptoms.
Diagnosis: herpes zoster of the breast.
Please cite this article as: Alonso García SC, Lendínez Romero I, Ubiña Martínez JA. Herpes zóster en mama como diagnóstico diferencial de la mastitis. Cir Esp. 2018;96:303.