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Scientific article
Case report
English

Purpura fulminans in a child as a complication of chickenpox infection

Contributors

Campanelli, Alexandre; Kaya, Guerkan; Ozsahin, Ayse Hulya; La Scala, Giorgio; Jacquier, Cédric; Stauffer, Mélanie; Boehlen, Françoise; De Moerloose, Philippe; Saurat, Jean-Hilaire

Published in

Dermatology, vol. 208, no. 3, p. 262-264

Publication date

2004

Abstract

Purpura fulminans is a thrombotic disease that can occur during infections, disseminated intravascular coagulation or in the context of an acquired or congenital protein C or S deficiency. Here we report the case of a 4-year-old child who developed, 5 days after a chickenpox infection, large painful ecchymotic, necrotizing and retiform plaques on the lower extremities. Laboratory analyses revealed very low protein S levels as well as anticardiolipin antibodies. Aggressive treatment by low-molecular-weight heparin, steroids, intravenous immunoglobulins and fresh frozen plasma was able to prevent the extension of the lesions and to correct the coagulation abnormalities. No lesions required skin grafting. As in our patient, an acquired protein S deficiency is probably responsible for most cases of purpura fulminans occurring after varicella, but the concomitant presence of antiphospholipid antibodies may also play a role.

Keywords

  • Antibodies, Anticardiolipin/blood
  • Chickenpox/complications
  • Child, Preschool
  • Humans
  • Lower Extremity
  • Male
  • Necrosis
  • Protein S Deficiency/complications
  • Purpura, Schoenlein-Henoch/pathology/virology

UNIGE affiliation entities

Citation (ISO format)

CAMPANELLI, Alexandre et al. Purpura fulminans in a child as a complication of chickenpox infection. In: Dermatology, 2004, vol. 208, n° 3, p. 262–264. doi: 10.1159/000077315

Main files (1)

Article (Published version)

Identifiers

Journal ISSN

1018-8665
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Technical informations

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23/02/2015 15:07:00

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