title: Endoscopic findings in a patient with Henoch-Schonlein purpura.
abstract: Henoch-Schonlein 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 presented with colicky abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea, arthralgia, and skin rash. The gastrointestinal tract was viewed by upper endoscopy and colonoscopy. We found characteristic 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.
authors.affiliation: 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
authors.forename: Ming-Jen
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Tsang-En
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Wen-Hsiung
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Shu-Jung
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Wen-Shen
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Liao
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000473:pathology; D016145:Endoscopy, Digestive System; D006801:Humans; D011695:IgA Vasculitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology*; D007410:Intestinal Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged