Purpura (patient information)

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Editor-in-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S.,M.D. [1] Phone:617-632-7753; Associate Editor-In-Chief: Lakshmi Gopalakrishnan, M.B.B.S.

Overview

Purpura is purple-colored spots and patches that occur on the skin, organs, and in mucus membranes, including the lining of the mouth.

What causes Purpura?

• Nonthrombocytopenic purpuras may be due to:

• Congenital cytomegalovirus
• Congenital rubella syndrome
• Drugs that affect platelet function
• Fragile blood vessels (senile purpura)
• Pressure changes that occur during vaginal childbirth
• Inflammation of the blood vessels (vasculitis), such as Henoch-Schonlein purpura

• Thrombocytopenic purpura may be due to:

• Drugs that prevent platelets from forming
• Hemangioma
• Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP)
• Immune neonatal thrombocytopenia (can occur in infants whose mothers have ITP)
• Meningococcemia

When to seek urgent medical care?

Call your doctor for an appointment if you have signs of purpura.

Diagnosis

• Your doctor will examine your skin and ask you questions about your medical history and symptoms, including:

• Is this the first time you have had such spots?
• When did they develop?
• What color are they?
• Do they look like bruises?
• What medications do you take?
• What other medical problems have you had?
• Does anyone in your family have similar spots?
• What other symptoms do you have?

• A skin biopsy may be done.

Diseases with similar symptoms

• Purpura occurs when small blood vessels under the skin leak.

• When purpura spots are very small, they are called petechiae. Large purpura are called ecchymoses.

• Platelets help the blood clot. A person with purpura may have normal platelet counts (nonthrombocytopenic purpuras) or decreased platelet counts (thrombocytopenic purpuras).

Where to find medical care for Purpura?

Directions to Hospitals Treating Purpura

Source

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003232.htm