HIV: herpes zoster in a young adult: practice question

A Dermatology question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Dermatology · HIV: herpes zoster in a young adult

Sample item

A 26-year-old man with no known illness develops herpes zoster involving two non-contiguous dermatomes. Which step is most important?

AOffer HIV testingBAdvise no further testsCTest for pregnancyDStart long-term prophylactic penicillin

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

A. Offer HIV testing

Herpes zoster in a young adult, particularly with multidermatomal or recurrent disease, can be an early marker of HIV infection. Voluntary counselling and testing is recommended along with antiviral therapy. Zoster is a WHO clinical stage 2 condition.

Option by option

A. Offer HIV testing (correct)
Correct. HIV testing is advised after zoster in a young adult.
B. Advise no further tests
Skipping testing misses an immune deficiency clue.
C. Test for pregnancy
Pregnancy testing is irrelevant in a man.
D. Start long-term prophylactic penicillin
Penicillin does not address zoster risk.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

Questions about this Dermatology question

What is the answer to this Dermatology question?

The best answer is A, Offer HIV testing. Herpes zoster in a young adult, particularly with multidermatomal or recurrent disease, can be an early marker of HIV infection.

Why is "Advise no further tests" not the answer?

Skipping testing misses an immune deficiency clue.

Why is "Test for pregnancy" not the answer?

Pregnancy testing is irrelevant in a man.

Why is "Start long-term prophylactic penicillin" not the answer?

Penicillin does not address zoster risk.

What concept does this question test?

It tests HIV: herpes zoster in a young adult in Dermatology. Voluntary counselling and testing is recommended along with antiviral therapy. Zoster is a WHO clinical stage 2 condition.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as a multi-step question: it asks you to combine more than one idea. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study HIV: herpes zoster in a young adult?

Learn each condition by its primary lesion, site and signature sign. Then use the flashcards and the other Dermatology questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.