Henoch-Sch?nlein purpura with major gastrointestinal involvement

摘要

Henoch-Sch?nlein purpura (HSP) is an IgA vasculitisof small vessels manifested by purpura, abdominalpain, articular and renal involvement (1-3). This wasfirst described by Edouard Heinrich Henoch andJohann Lakas Sch?nlein (3). With 20 cases/ 100,000children/ year, the estimated incidence in adults is11.5 times lower than in children (1-3). However, clinicalmanifestations are more ominous in the group ofolder patients (1-3). Worthy of note, the low numberof studies including adults with HSP may hinderthe establishment of protocols about managementguidelines for this patients’ age group (1). The relativelybenign course of HSP in children contrasts with thatamong elderly, and younger patients improve withsteroids, immunosuppressant’s or plasmapheresis (1-3).