Case Report
Copyright ©2005 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Apr 21, 2005; 11(15): 2354-2356
Published online Apr 21, 2005. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v11.i15.2354
Endoscopic findings in a patient with Henoch-Schönlein purpura
Ming-Jen Chen, Tsang-En Wang, Wen-Hsiung Chang, Shu-Jung Tsai, Wen-Shen Liao
Ming-Jen Chen, Tsang-En Wang, Wen-Hsiung Chang, Shu-Jung Tsai, Wen-Shen Liao, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Mackay Medicine, Nursing and Management College, Taipei, Taiwan, China
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Dr. Ming-Jen Chen, Division of Gastroen-terology, Department of Internal Medicine, Mackay Memorial Hospital, No. 92, Sec. 2, Chung-Shan N. Road, Taipei, Taiwan, China. mingjen.ch@msa.hinet.net
Telephone: +886-2-25433535-2260 Fax: +886-2-25433642
Received: July 12, 2004
Revised: July 13, 2004
Accepted: January 21, 2005
Published online: April 21, 2005
Abstract

Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) is a systemic vasculitis of the small vessels of the skin, joints, GI tract, and kidney. It preferentially affects children but may also occur in adults. We report a 60-year-old man with HSP who prese-nted with colicky abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea, arth-ralgia, and skin rash. The gastrointestinal tract was viewed by upper endoscopy and colonoscopy. We found charac-teristic endoscopic findings in the stomach, cecum and sigmoid colon, the combination of which has rarely been demonstrated in one patient. Histologic examination of skin biopsy specimens revealed leukocytoclastic vasculitis with positive staining for IgA in the capillaries. Endoscopy appears to have substantial diagnostic utility in patients suspected of having HSP, especially when abdominal symptoms precede the cutaneous lesions.

Keywords: Henoch-Schönlein purpura; Purpura; Endoscopy