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Henoch-Scholein Purpura Information I have set up this page to
bring together information about HSP. At the moment it includes a brief description of the illness and my son's case history. I hope to develop the page as I hear from other people with experience of HSP, so that it will provide an alternative to the few web sites which provide a medical description of it face="times">. |
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Case History My son had his first attack of HSP in May
1998, when he was 9 years old. He had had a cold, but seemed to be recovering. One morning he woke up with swollen and very painful feet. I took him to hospital, where he was diagnosed as having HSP, and put on antibiotics. After about two weeks he was well enough to go back to school. He had had swollen feet, ankles, knees and elbows. At this time we were told that it would only happen once. In August, while we were on holiday, he developed a slight cold and cough, followed by spots. We took him to a local hospital, where he was given anti-inflammatory drugs but no antibiotic. He got worse, so we flew home early. Once he was given antibiotics he began to recover, but he had suffered swollen feet, ankles, knees, elbows, wrists, hands and tenderness in his calves. This time the consultant told us that when HSP recurs children generally grew out of it in 3 - 9 months. In October he started a cold, but we gave him antibiotics straight away and he got away with only some pain in his knees. On Christmas Day he developed spots at the same time as showing first signs of a cold. Despite getting antibiotics at once he was affected for over a week, having swollen feet, ankles and knees. In mid-January, despite appearing well, he began to complain of pains in his feet. A blood test showed that he did have an infection, and he started another course of antibiotics. The pains got worse, however, and although he did not have any spots or swelling, he was off school for 3 weeks because it was too painful for him to walk. After seeing several doctors he started walking, without any treatment; they said that it was the memory or anticipation of pain which was stopping him from walking rather than any physical cause. In mid-March he had a cold and came up in a few spots which faded within two days without any swelling. At the moment he is in the middle of the 6th episode, following yet another cold. Update February 2000. My son had another, milder episode in May 1999. In September and October he had mild episodes, getting spots but no swelling. He had the 9th case in February 2000, but again it was mild. If we are lucky he may be growing out of it. I have come across a treatment for HSP involving quercetin and Vitamin C, and I am looking into this at the moment. I would welcome any comments.. |
What is Henoch-Scholein purpura? Henoch-Scholein (or Schonlein) purpura is
a rare illness that normally affects children under 10 years old. The defining symptom is a rash which starts off as bright red spots about 3mm across, which spread and fade over several days, becoming pale purple. Other symptoms include:- swollen, painful joints: normally only one or two are involved at a time, stomach pains, sometimes with vomiting (which may contain blood) and stools which appear to contain blood, slight fever, the rash may be itchy, the kidneys may be affected. Although these symptoms are distressing, they normally have no long term effect, but a small proportion of patients suffer long term kidney damage. Because of this, and because the rash can resemble meningitis, it is important to see a doctor as soon as symptoms appear. Nobody knows why some children suffer HSP, but it seems to be triggered by infections. Prevention of further attacks is by avoiding infection and by treatment with antibiotics if the trigger is a bacteria. DISCLAIMER: this description is based on my experience and on several reports I have found on the Web.(Links are given below.) If you are at all concerned about a child you should consult a doctor. face="times"> |
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