Cardiopulmonary manifestations of Henoch-Schonlein purpura

Mahendra Agraharkar, Sumita Gokhale, Linh Le, Srinivasan Rajaraman, Gerald A. Campbell

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

44 Scopus citations

Abstract

Henoch-Schonlein Purpura (HSP) is usually a mild condition involving the skin, gut, joints, and kidneys and has a good prognosis. We present a 63- year-old Hispanic man who had an unusually severe form of HSP with a fatal outcome attributable to vasculitis causing myocardial necrosis. There is only one citation in the literature of HSP-related myocardial vasculitis, which involved the right ventricle and was successfully treated with steroids. Our patient had severe HSP-related myocardial necrosis, tracheobronchitis, and nephritis. The bronchial lesions resolved, presumably because of steroid therapy. This probably is the first case of fatal myocardial necrosis related to HSP. We conclude that HSP can, in some cases, have an aggressive course. It becomes imperative to recognize the involvement of the other organ systems, such as the heart, so that appropriate therapy may be initiated. Immunosuppression may have a beneficial effect on extrarenal lesions. Controlled clinical trials are needed to establish the efficacy of such treatment. (C) 2000 National Kidney Foundation, Inc.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)319-322
Number of pages4
JournalAmerican Journal of Kidney Diseases
Volume35
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 2000

Keywords

  • Cardiopulmonary vasculitis
  • Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP)
  • Immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy
  • Immunosuppressive therapy
  • Myocardial necrosis
  • Myocardial vasculitis

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Nephrology

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