[Diagnostic pitfall: herpes simplex recidivans on the finger]. / Diagnostischer Fallstrick: Herpes simplex recidivans am Finger.

Herpes simplex recidivans is one of the most common dermatological infections. In typical (perioral, labial or genital) localization, the diagnosis is simple and often made by the patient. In atypical locations, the disease may be misdiagnosed by the physician. A 28-year-old patient presented with recurrent herpes simplex virus exacerbations on his left index finger, accompanied by neuralgic pains and lymphadenitis. He had been misdiagnosed by a variety of specialists for several years and had often been unable to work. The diagnosis of recurrent herpes simplex was made by the patient's history and the clinical symptoms and was confirmed by the detection of Herpes simplex virus-specific DNA by PCR.