Recurrent Henoch-Schönlein purpura in children.
BACKGROUND
Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP), also known as anaphylactoid purpura is a clinically recognizable systemic disorder occurring in children, mainly from ages 3 to 10 years.


OBJECTIVE
To describe the clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory findings in a group of patients with recurrent HSP, admitted to a tertiary pediatric center.


METHODS
Retrospective analysis of medical records of patients hospitalized due to HSP between 1969 and 2004.


RESULTS
Two hundred sixty children (56.7% males) were hospitalized due to HSP, 7 (2.7%) more than once. There were no statistically significant differences in demographic or clinical characteristics between the patients with 1 event of HSP and patients with recurrence. Mean age of the subgroup with recurrence was 3.67 years (10 months to 7.4 years) at the first episode, and 5.03 years (2.2-10 years) at the second one, with a mean lag period of 13.5 +/- 2.8 months (range 2-26). The duration of the recurrent clinical symptoms ranged from 9 to 30 days, and in 72% of those patients, resolution took more than 14 days.


CONCLUSIONS
In our inpatient population, no clinical or laboratory characteristics were found to be predictive of recurrence; the second episode was longer than the first and the lag period between the 2 episodes was substantially longer than previously reported. Hospital admissions for recurrent HSP are not common. Nevertheless, a good prognosis was the rule of our admitted patients.
Prais
Dario
D
Department of Pediatrics C, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petah Tiqva and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. dariop@clalit.org.il
Amir
Jacob
J
Nussinovitch
Moshe
M
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011695:IgA Vasculitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010359:Patient Readmission; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors