J Korean Med Sci.  2012 Dec;27(12):1601-1603. 10.3346/jkms.2012.27.12.1601.

Leukocytoclastic Vasculitis Associated with Influenza A Virus Infection

• Lee HJ
• Shin DH
• Choi JS
• Kim KH

• KMID: 2157991
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2012.27.12.1601

Abstract

Leukocytoclastic vasculitis (LCV) usually presents palpable purpura characterized by inflammation of vessel walls and fragmentation of nuclei. Various conditions can cause LCV, and it can be induced by influenza A virus infection. We report a 2-yr-old Korean girl who presented palpable purpuric and hemorrhagic lesions with fever. She was diagnosed as LCV by skin biopsy, and influenza A virus was isolated from nasopharyngeal swab. She was treated with oseltamivir (Tamiflu(R)) and prednisolone with dramatic effect of vasculitis and fever.

Keyword

Leukocytoclastic Vasculitis; Influenza A Virus Infection

MeSH Terms

Anti-Inflammatory Agents/therapeutic use
Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use
Child, Preschool
Female
Fever/etiology
Humans
Influenza A virus/*genetics/isolation & purification
Influenza, Human/*complications/drug therapy/virology
Nasopharynx/virology
Oseltamivir/therapeutic use
Prednisolone/therapeutic use
Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
Skin/pathology
Vasculitis, Leukocytoclastic, Cutaneous/*diagnosis/drug therapy/etiology
Anti-Inflammatory Agents
Antiviral Agents
Oseltamivir
Prednisolone

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Reticulated purpuric swollen lesions on the face (A) and left elbow (B), multiple rice grain sized palpable purpuric papules on the right leg (C).

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  Fig. 2 Perivascular inflammatory infiltrates in the dermis (H&E, × 100).

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  Fig. 3 Perivascular neutrophilic infiltrates with nuclear dusts, extravasated red blood cells, and fibrin deposition in the small vessel wall (H&E, × 200).

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