Abstract
Acute hemorrhagic edema of young children is an uncommon but likely underestimated cutaneous leukocytoclastic vasculitis. The condition typically affects infants 6–24 months of age with a history of recent respiratory illness with or without course of antibiotics. The diagnosis is made in children, mostly nontoxic in appearance, presenting with nonpruritic, large, round, red to purpuric plaques predominantly over the cheeks, ears, and extremities, with relative sparing of the trunk, often with a target-like appearance, and edema of the distal extremities, ears, and face that is mostly non-pitting, indurative, and tender. In boys, the lesions sometimes involve the scrotum and, more rarely, the penis. Fever, typically of low grade, is often present. Involvement of body systems other than skin is uncommon, and spontaneous recovery usually occurs within 6–21 days without sequelae. In this condition, laboratory tests are non-contributory: total blood cell count is often normal, although leukocytosis and thrombocytosis are sometimes found, clotting studies are normal, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein test are normal or slightly elevated, complement level is normal, autoantibodies are absent, and urinalysis is usually normal. Experienced physicians rapidly consider the possible diagnosis of acute hemorrhagic edema when presented with a nontoxic young child having large targetoid purpuric lesions and indurative swelling, which is non-pitting in character, and make the diagnosis either on the basis of clinical findings alone or supported by a skin biopsy study.
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Notes
In erythema multiforme, lesions very often first appear over the dorsa of the hands, with progression in a centripetal fashion to involve the proximal extremities and the trunk. In acute hemorrhagic edema of young children, target-like lesions usually are limited to the limbs and the face together with the presence of extremity edema that does not occur in erythema multiforme.
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Fiore, E., Rizzi, M., Simonetti, G.D. et al. Acute hemorrhagic edema of young children: a concise narrative review. Eur J Pediatr 170, 1507–1511 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-011-1508-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-011-1508-4