Purpura fulminans in a child as a complication of chickenpox infection

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

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Title		Purpura fulminans in a child as a complication of chickenpox infection
Authors		Campanelli, Alexandre Kaya, Gurkan Ozsahin, Ayse Hulya La Scala, Giorgio Jacquier, Cédric Stauffer, Mélanie Boehlen, Françoise De Moerloose, Philippe Saurat, Jean-Hilaire show all authors [1 - 9]
Published in		Dermatology. 2004, vol. 208, no. 3, p. 262-4
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
Identifiers		DOI: 10.1159/000077315 PMID: 15118384
Full text		Article (Published version) (70 Kb) - Limited access to UNIGE
Structures		Faculté de médecine / Section de médecine clinique / Département de médecine interne des spécialités Faculté de médecine / Section de médecine fondamentale / Département de neurosciences fondamentales Faculté de médecine / Section de médecine clinique / Département de pédiatrie Faculté de médecine / Section de médecine clinique / Département de santé et de médecine communautaires
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. 262-4. https://archive-ouverte.unige.ch/unige:72791