Clinico-epidemiologic Study of Henoch-Schonlein Purpura in Children, 1987 through 2003 / 소아과

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: We evaluated children with Henoch-Schonlein purpura(HSP) in terms of epidemiology and clinical characteristics. METHODS: A total of 424 medical records of children with HSP admitted to The Catholic University of Korea, Daejeon St. Mary's Hospital, from 1987 to 2003 were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: The mean annual number of cases was 25.1+/-7.9 and no one year showed an outbreak. There was a steady number of patients throughout the year with a decrease during the summer season. The male-to-female ratio was 1.31 with the median age of the patients being 6-years-old. The age distribution showed a peak at age 6 in a bell-shaped distribution curve. Purpura was noted in 100 percent of the patients, gastrointestinal involvement in 53.8 percent, joint involvement in 40.8 percent, and renal involvement in 18.9 percent. Nephrotic syndrome occurred in 1 percent of all patients. CONCLUSION: The epidemiologic and clinical features of HSP were similar to those of other regions in Korea and foreign nations, irrespective of time.