8-year-old Mary has not had any allergy symptoms since she was a child, but one day after catching a cold, purple rashes began to appear on her legs. They looked like both allergies and mosquito bites. Although Mary’s mother was a little worried , but still decided to take another look.

Unexpectedly, after a few weeks, the purple rash on Mary’s legs grew longer and larger, and gradually spread to her buttocks. Her knees and ankles also began to swell and hurt, and his stomach became very uncomfortable. After seeing a doctor, he found out that it was an allergy. Symptoms caused by purpura (Henoch-Schonlein purpura)

Henoch-Schonlein purpura commonly occurs in children and the cause is unknown. If the condition is severe, it may even cause inflammation of the kidneys, leading to a decline in kidney function.

The following paragraph we will introduce to you what allergic purpura is, the symptoms and treatment methods of allergic purpura.

What is allergic purpura? The very different from general allergies

Allergic purpura is an allergic vasculitis that invades the capillaries of the skin or other organs.

Different from atopic diseases such as allergic rhinitis, asthma and atopic dermatitis, the immune protein globule E (IgE) in the body reacts to allergens, resulting in allergic symptoms; the allergic reaction of allergic purpura is caused by The immune protein globule A (IgA, also known as A antibody) in the body reacts abnormally.

When the human body catches a cold, the body will produce anti-viral antibodies, one of which is IgA. IgA can fight against foreign substances invading the body. However, when the human immune system is abnormal, IgA will in turn cause harm to the human body.

Since allergic purpura is not a reaction to external allergens, allergic purpura is also called “Henoch-Schonlein purpura” and has nothing to do with common allergies, such as allergic rhinitis and skin allergies.

It usually occurs in children under 10 years old and can happen to every child

Henoch-Schonlein purpura most commonly occurs in children aged 5 to 10 years, but it can also occur in children of other ages. Since the cause of the disease is unknown, current research only knows that it is caused by abnormalities in the immune system and special constitution, so it is likely to occur in every child.

Henoch-Schonlein purpura usually occurs after the human body is infected by a bacterial infection and antibodies appear in the body. In plain language, it means after getting sick. Therefore, most sick children have a history of upper respiratory tract infection and have had colds and coughs 2 to 3 weeks before the onset of the disease. or symptoms such as sore throat.

In addition, more than 90% of allergic purpura cases occur in autumn and winter when colds are common.

Symptoms of allergic purpura

1. Purpura: Red and purple spots appear on the skin (especially on the lower limbs), which appear as obvious red spots or black and blue. Therefore, many parents of sick children mistake them for mosquito bites, allergic rashes or bruises. These purple spots come from blood vessel inflammation and capillary rupture, and will spread from the legs up to the buttocks and trunk. The color will not disappear when pressed with your hands, and will be accompanied by slight pain. When purpura first appears, the condition is less severe and the child is still in good mental condition.
   
2. Joint pain: In addition to inflammation of blood vessels, the lower limb joints of patients with allergic purpura, such as knees and ankles, may also be attacked by the immune system, causing the sick child to develop mild and temporary arthritis. Sometimes the knee joints will be slightly swollen, or even severe. It will hurt so much that you can’t walk.
   
3. Abdominal pain: The vasculitis of Henoch-Schönlein purpura may also invade the gastrointestinal tract and cause symptoms of abdominal pain. The clinical manifestations of this kind of abdominal pain are often very painful, and sick children will cry loudly. In severe cases, gastrointestinal bleeding, bloody stools and other symptoms may even occur.

If purple spots appear, seek medical attention immediately to avoid delay and kidney damage

Generally speaking, most patients with allergic purpura will have purpura appear on the skin first, but it is also possible that abdominal pain occurs first without other symptoms, causing the clinical diagnosis to be misdiagnosed as an emergency such as ischemic enteritis, peritonitis, gastric ulcer or appendicitis, until The true cause is determined only when purple spots appear.

In addition to the above typical symptoms, the most important thing to note about allergic purpura is that it may invade the kidneys, causing kidney inflammation, continuous reduction of renal function, and even renal failure. Therefore, when doctors diagnose allergic purpura, they will A urine test is arranged for the child to understand the extent of the impact on the kidneys of the sick child and to continuously track the kidney function status.

Clinically, about 1/3 of the sick children will have hematuria or proteinuria, but most of the sick children will return to normal within 1 month.

Treatment of Allergiv Purpura: Relieve Pain and Suppress Excessive Immune Response

Allergic purpura is not a difficult disease. Anyone can recover as long as they receive treatment, and the purple spots on the skin will disappear. Only 10 to 20% of children with the disease will relapse, but the symptoms are usually milder than when the disease first occurred.

The doctor’s treatment strategy will focus on relieving symptoms, such as using anti-inflammatory analgesics to relieve joint pain and other discomforts in sick children. If the condition is serious, such as abdominal pain or kidney damage, steroid anti-inflammatory drugs will be used to suppress the immune response. Only a very small number of sick children will be severely affected by kidney damage and need to be treated with immunosuppressants and steroids.

After the symptoms of allergic purpura gradually subside, children with allergic purpura still need to return regularly to check their kidney function to ensure normal kidney function and avoid chronic renal failure due to kidney inflammation.