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To the Editor.—The article by Dr. Belsey (Amer J Dis Child113:444-448, 1967) reporting varicella in 11 patients with active tuberculosis, prompted a review of the same combination at Maybury Sanatorium. Dr. Belsey found depressed tuberculin reactions in seven patients, roentgenographic exacerbation in two patients, and recurrence of positive sputum in one patient.
Maybury Sanatorium houses tuberculosis patients primarily from Detroit and surrounding Wayne County. Currently, approximately 200 children are admitted yearly to the Children's Division.
Varicella has been a yearly event. There occurred 46 cases of varicella in the spring of 1964, and 52 cases occurred in the spring of 1965 under my direct supervision. During the epidemic, both clinically and on chest films, there was no obvious evidence of progression of pulmonary or extrapulmonary tuberculosis.
Retrospectively, the chest films throughout the patients' hospitalization were reviewed without knowledge of the date of onset of varicella. If adverse