Malar flush

Malar flush is a plum-red discolouration of the high cheeks. It is classically associated with mitral valve stenosis due to the resulting CO₂ retention and its vasodilatory effects. It can also be associated with lupus, polycythemia vera and homocystinuria.

Malar flush
Differential diagnosis	mitral stenosis, SLE

Definition

Malar flush is a plum-red discolouration of the high cheeks.^[1]

Pathophysiology

Mitral valve stenosis may cause malar flush due to CO₂ retention, which causes vasodilation of arterioles in the cheeks.^[1]

It can also be associated with other conditions, such as lupus,^[2] polycythemia vera^[3] and homocystinuria.^[4]

See also

• Malar rash

References

1. Topol, Eric J; Califf, Robert M (2007). Textbook of cardiovascular medicine (3rd ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. p. 194. ISBN 9780781770125. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
2. Dreizen, S. (January 1991). "The butterfly rash and the malar flush. What diseases do these signs reflect?". Postgraduate Medicine. 89 (1): 225–228, 233–234. doi:10.1080/00325481.1991.11700800. ISSN 0032-5481. PMID 1824645.
3. Clarke, R. "Mitral Facies" (PDF). Ask Doctor Clarke. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
4. Marcdante, Karen; Kliegman, Robert M. (2019). Nelson Essentials of Pediatrics, 8th edition. Elsevier. p. 203. ISBN 978-0-323-51145-2.