What are the symptoms of purple eczema?

Purpura is a relatively common disease. If you have purpura, you will often show a variety of symptoms. For example, the skin will often appear purple-red and will not fade when pressed hard. It will appear urticaria-like and cause neurogenic edema. It will also cause gastrointestinal pain, swollen and painful joints, and many other symptoms. Let's take a look at the symptoms of purpura below.

What are the symptoms of purple eczema?

1. Skin purpura

It is often the first manifestation of the disease. Purpura varies in size, protrudes above the skin surface, is purple-red in color, does not fade when pressed, can merge into patches, or appear as herpes-like, urticarial, or erythema multiforme, and may be accompanied by neurogenic edema.

In severe cases, ulcers and necrosis may occasionally occur. Purpura is more common on the extensor side of the limbs and buttocks, and is more obvious in the lower limbs and joints such as ankles and knees. It appears symmetrically in batches and is prone to recurrence.

2. Gastrointestinal symptoms

Many children have abdominal pain, which is mostly paroxysmal severe abdominal pain or dull pain, which is obvious around the umbilicus or lower abdomen, with tenderness, but no abdominal muscle tension. It may be accompanied by diarrhea and blood in the stool of varying degrees, and the stool may be tarry or bright red. Severe cases may also cause vomiting, but hematemesis is rare. If abdominal pain and bloody stool appear before skin purpura, it should be differentiated from surgical acute abdomen. This disease can cause intestinal dysfunction and even intussusception due to submucosal bleeding and edema of the intestinal tract.

3. Joint symptoms

Some children have swollen and painful joints, mostly affecting large joints such as knees, ankles, wrists, elbows, etc., while small joints are not affected. It can be solitary, multiple or migratory. The joints are swollen and painful, and the pain worsens with activity. There is often a slight fever in the local area, and in severe cases there is a burning sensation. There were no sequelae after the joint symptoms subsided.

4. Urinary system symptoms

Due to the increased permeability of the urinary tract mucosal capillaries, hematuria and trace proteinuria may occur, which disappear as the purpura recedes. However, about 1/3 to 1/2 of children with purpura have kidney involvement, which is called purpuric nephritis. The pathological changes in the kidneys determine the prognosis. Changes in urine often occur within 2 to 3 weeks of the acute phase, and may also appear after purpura subsides. Most children present with a small amount of protein in the urine and red blood cells under a microscope, sometimes with casts, and may also have macroscopic hematuria. The prognosis is generally good. Occasionally, the patient presents with rapidly progressive nephritis and develops into acute renal failure, with a poor prognosis. Some children have large amounts of proteinuria, hematuria, edema, hypertension, hypoproteinemia and hypercholesterolemia, which are symptoms of nephrotic syndrome. Hematuria and proteinuria may persist for months or years, but most patients will eventually recover completely. A very small number of children have varying degrees of renal impairment and present with chronic nephritis, which eventually develops into chronic renal failure.

5. Other symptoms

Occasionally, cerebral hemorrhage may cause convulsions, temporary paralysis, aphasia, etc., and in severe cases, death. Other symptoms such as nose bleeding, gum bleeding, muscle bleeding, testicular swelling and bleeding, or pulmonary hemosiderin deposition are extremely rare.