[Gardner-Diamond syndrome in a young man: A case report and literature review]. / Syndrome de Gardner-Diamond : à propos d'un cas chez un homme jeune et revue de la littérature.

INTRODUCTION: Gardner-Diamond syndrome is a rare condition secondary to a sensitization to self-erythrocytes. It is predominantly seen in women and presents as a painful ecchymotic disorder. An underlying psychiatric disease or a triggering psychological stress is of important diagnostic value. CASE REPORT: We report a 24-year-old patient who presented with intermittent spontaneous painful ecchymosis since 5 years. Complementary investigations failed to identify an organic disorder. Gardner-Diamond syndrome was retained because of the clinical presentation, the negativity of diagnostic work-up and the identification of a psychological trauma. Patient management (pain, psychological support) is difficult, justifying a multidisciplinary approach. CONCLUSION: Gardner-Diamond syndrome is a rare and unrecognized disorder, which should be discussed in the presence of ecchymotic or purpuric lesions that do not have a diagnostic orientation. Early recognition of this disorder enables initiation of an appropriate management, but also limits unnecessary additional explorations.

Psychogenic purpura.

Psychogenic purpura, also known as Gardner-Diamond syndrome, is a rare, distinctive, localized cutaneous reaction pattern mostly affecting psychologically disturbed adult women. Repeated crops of tender, ill-defined ecchymotic lesions on the extremities and external bleeding from other sites characterize the condition. We report here a case of psychogenic purpura because of the rarity of the condition and to emphasize the importance of consideration of this entity during evaluation of a patient with recurrent ecchymoses. Early diagnosis of this condition will not only minimize the cost of the medical evaluation but will also benefit the patient.

A Case of Autoerythrocyte Sensitization Syndrome in an Adult Male

Autoerythrocyte sensitization syndrome (Gardner-Diamond syndrome), also known as painful bruising syndrome or psychogenic purpura, is characterized by sudden and spontaneous painful bruising and swelling on both extremities, and is a psychologically induced painful bruising condition. The exact etiology of the syndrome is an enigma, even today. It occurs primarily in young to middle-aged women who usually have psychogenic disorders. A diagnosis of this syndrome is made on the basis of the clinical history, dermatological examination complemented by a positive autoerythrocyte sensitization test, psychiatric evaluation and the absence of any organic cause. We present a 20-year-old man with characteristic features of this syndrome, who had a positive autoerythrocyte sensitization test. To our knowledge, this is the first case in an adult male reported in the Korean literature.

Autoerythrocyte Sensitization Syndrome

No abstract available.