Acute hemorrhagic edema in an infant mimicking Henoch-Schonlein purpura: a case study / 소아과

Acute hemorrhagic edema of infancy (AHEI) is an uncommon form of cutaneous leukocytoclastic vasculitis that occurs in infants and children younger than 2 years. AHEI is characterized clinically by marked peripheral edema and fever as well as large palpable purpuric and ecchymotic skin lesions in a target-like pattern, mainly on the face, ears and extremities, similar to the skin findings of Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP). The skin lesions heal spontaneously within one to three weeks and internal organs are rarely affected. We report a case of AHEI occurring in a 23-month-old boy who was initially misdiagnosed as HSP, and was later diagnosed according to his clinical symptoms and histochemical characteristics.

A Case of Acute Hemorrhagic Edema of Infancy

Acute hemorrhagic edema of infancy is an unusual form of leukocytoclastic vasculitis occuring in children from the age 4 months to 2 years. The etiology remains unknown. Numerous studies, however, suggest acute hemorrhagic edema of infancy as an immune-mediated vasculitis in response to a variety of antigenic stimuli. We report a case of an acute hemorrhagic edema of infancy; 11-month-old boy with a history of fever for 3 days and a history of purpuric rash on the extremities, trunk, buttock and oral mucosa for 2 days.