When there are some scattered small red dots on the child's body, some parents will think that they have been bitten by mosquitoes, or they are allergic, and they don't care much. But I would like to remind everyone that if a needle-like small red dot is found in the child's leg and has not disappeared for more than a week, it is best to take the child to the hospital for examination to rule out the disease of thrombocytopenic purpura.
A children's hospital has treated a child. A week before the child's visit, when the mother bathed him, she noticed that the child's calf had several red dots of different sizes like needle tips. The mother thought that the child was allergic to the skin, so she didn't care too much. After a week, my mother found that the red dots on her calves had spread to the inner thighs and rushed to the hospital for examination.
After the examination, it was confirmed that the child had thrombocytopenic purpura, but it came early, and if the child had signs of high fever and sepsis, it may be life-threatening.
Thrombocytopenic purpura is relatively new to most people. Before explaining the disease, let's take a look at platelets.
Platelets are produced by megakaryocytes in the bone marrow and are an important cellular component of peripheral blood, mainly involved in the process of thrombosis and hemostasis. Under normal circumstances, when bleeding in a certain part of the body, platelets will quickly release a variety of factors, adhering to the trauma site to stop bleeding.
Thrombocytopenic purpura is a bleeding disorder in which thrombocytopenia in peripheral blood is destroyed by the immunity of platelets. When the human body's platelets are reduced too much, it will lead to physical injuries and bleeding, and the bleeding cannot be stopped as soon as possible. Therefore, the most obvious symptom of thrombocytopenic purpura is bleeding from the skin and mucous membranes such as the nasal cavity and gums.
What are the types of thrombocytopenic purpura?
There are generally two types of thrombocytopenic purpura commonly found in the clinic, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura and secondary thrombocytopenic purpura.
Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura
The cause of this purpura is unknown, and it is divided into acute and chronic.
Acute idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, common in children, with a very rapid onset. It is mainly manifested by the appearance of petechiae or ecchymosis on a large area of the skin, mostly in the lower extremities, and the petechiae or ecchymosis are evenly distributed. The case we talked about at the beginning belongs to this type. Some patients also have low-grade fever and chills, and some patients also have symptoms of nasal cavity and gum mucosa bleeding.
Chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, common in women. Symptoms are generally mild, longer,each bleeding can last from days to months, and is prone to recurrence. It is characterized by petechiae or ecchymois on the skin at the end of the lower extremities or below the tourniquet, and bleeding from the nasal cavity, gums, and oral mucosa may also be seen. Some women also experience excessive menstruation.
Secondary thrombocytopenic purpura
This type of purpura is due to the patient's original thyroid, immune and other diseases, or due to clear factors, such as drugs and other reasons caused by thrombocytopenia. If the patient presents with only mild or moderate thrombocytopenia, bleeding may not be symptomatic. However, when platelets are severely reduced, bleeding from the skin and mucous membranes occurs. Severe patients can even develop intracranial hemorrhage, which is life-threatening.
With thrombocytopenic purpura, what are the precautions in life?
Avoid strenuous physical activity and exercise
Because of strenuous physical activity and exercise, it increases the risk of injury in patients with thrombocytopenic purpura, resulting in heavy bleeding. Children are generally more active, which parents must pay attention to.
Avoid taking medications that inhibit platelets
Drugs such as aspirin, quinine, cephalosporins, etc., these drugs will inhibit platelet regeneration, from affecting the clotting of blood.
Family members should avoid contact collisions with the patient
Apply protective film to the corners of furniture such as tables, chairs, cabinets, etc. in your home to reduce the risk of accidents.
Once again, parents are reminded that when they find that their children have inexplicable small red dots, especially when they find small red dots on their limbs, do not be careless. Pay attention to observation and find out the cause. When it is found that the red dot continues to spread and the cause cannot be found, it is best to take the child to the hospital as soon as possible to avoid delaying the disease.