title: A case of hematidrosis successfully treated with propranolol.
abstract: We report a typical case of hematidrosis in a Chinese girl who had experienced frequent bleeding episodes for more than 3 years. During hospitalization, spontaneous bleeding from her intact skin was witnessed by our staff on more than 20 occasions. Characteristically, bloody droplets from the intact skin contained all blood components. Histopathologic examination showed some inconspicuous abnormalities, with normal sweat gland structure containing no blood, and bloody exudate also came from some areas that do not contain sweat glands. We believe that the blood was mixed with a sweat-like fluid, rather than real sweat. The patient's bleeding problem was dramatically resolved by treatment with propranolol. We suggest that sympathetic nerve activation might play a role in these events, and that β-adrenoceptor antagonists might be an effective treatment for this disorder.
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Institute of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China. zwang11@sina.com
authors.forename: Zhaoyue
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ziqiang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Lijuan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Xiaojuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Xia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.forename: Shenghua
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhan
authors.forename: Tianqin
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Linjuan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Pin
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Changgeng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ruan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D011433:Propranolol / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D013542:Sweat / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D011433:Propranolol