User:Mr. Ibrahem/Petechiae
Medical condition / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Petechiae are small (less than 2 mm) red or purple spot in the skin or mucous membranes caused by minor bleeding from a broken capillary blood vessels.[1][3] They do not turn white when pushed on.[2] Some causes, such as coughing and vomiting, only produce petechiae above the nipple line.[2]
Petechiae | |
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Other names | Petechia |
Petechia and purpura on the low limb due to medication-induced vasculitis | |
Pronunciation |
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Specialty | Rheumatology |
Symptoms | Red spots less than 2 mm[1] |
Causes | Infections: Enterovirus, Dengue, meningococcal disease[2] Injury: Non accidental trauma, coughing, vomiting[2] Blood disorders Leukemia, idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura[2] Other Henoch-Schonlein purpura, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, drug reactions, vitamin K deficiency[2] |
Differential diagnosis | Purpura, ecchymosis, hematoma[2][3] |
Frequency | Common[2] |
Causes include infections such as enterovirus, Dengue, or meningococcal disease; injury such as non accidental trauma, coughing, or vomiting; blood disorders such as leukemia and idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura; vasculitis such as Henoch-Schonlein purpura; connective tissue disorders such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome; drug reactions; and vitamin K deficiency.[2] The underlying mechanism involves bleeding into the skin, often as a result of low platelets, platelet dysfunction, blood clotting disorders, and loss of vascular integrity.[2]
Petechiae are one of the three types of bleeding into the skin, with the other two being purpura and ecchymosis (bruise).[4] Purpura are 2–10 millimetres in diameter while ecchymosis are defined as larger than 1 centimeter.[3][1] A hematoma in contrast is a deeper bruise.[3]
Treatment depends on the underlying cause.[2] This may vary from simply reassurance to intravenous antibiotics, or hospital admission.[2] Petechiae are common.[2] They represent the reason for about 2.5% of visits to pediatric emergency departments.[2] They were first described in 1855 by Auguste Ambroise Tardieu.[5] The word is derived from Latin for "a spot".[6]