Small red spots called petechiae might appear on children who suffer from a viral or bacterial infection, with three disorders that are potentially fatal if not treated promptly. These include meningococcal sepsis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and staphylococcus. A lesser-known disease might also cause petechiae in children. One study found a rare outbreak of human parvovirus infection produced an intense rash that resembled petechiae. Children without a bacterial or viral infection might cause petechiae in the neck or head after episodes of violent coughing.
Some petechiae in children occur from an infection that produces a reddish-purple rash that might look like bruising. The rash appears when capillaries break under the skin. One way to determine petechiae in children involves pressing on the lesions. If the color does not diminish, it might be petechiae.
Meningococcal disease only affects about 10 percent of children exhibiting this type of rash. It represents a contagious disease more common in the spring and winter. Petechiae in children might appear along with fever, headache, and muscle aches. The bumps typically start small and increase in size. This disease is spread through contact with oral or nasal fluids, and is treated with antibiotics, usually given intravenously in a hospital.
Rocky Mountain spotted fever might produce petechiae in children on the wrists and ankles, but some youngsters never develop the rash. The disease might appear after a tick bite in areas where these insects live. The tick transfers bacteria in its saliva that gets into the blood of the person bitten, and symptoms might not appear for up to two weeks. A child might become ill very quickly with a high fever, requiring antibiotics to treat the disease. It can be fatal if not diagnosed and treated early.
Staphylococcus that infects the blood may also cause petechiae in children. Staph infections cause many diseases, with more than 30 types afflicting humans. It is a bacterium spread by contact with open wounds and is considered highly contagious. Symptoms might be mild or severe, and typically are treated with antibiotics.
One condition with an unknown cause also produces petechiae in children. Henoch-Scholein purpura refers to the presence of the rash on legs and buttocks of children between two and ten years old. Some children also develop swelling and pain in the joints and abdominal pain. The condition generally resolves within a few days, but might cause kidney damage in rare cases. Pediatricians recommend frequent urine tests up to six months after this disorder resolves to check for renal complications.
|
golf07
Post 7 |
When my son was recovering in the hospital after a surgery, he came down with a staph infection. I always thought a hospital would be a sterile place and never would have guessed he would come down with this infection from the hospital.
Come to find out, it is quite common because this is so highly contagious. His first symptoms were a rash on his arms and chest. At least he was in a place where he could get treated right away.
It kept him in the hospital longer than what we were hoping for, but I am thankful it was caught early and wasn't too severe. |
|
bagley79
Post 6 |
@honeybees - You are fortunate the petechiae rashes in your children weren't serious. My daughter had to have intravenous antibiotics in the hospital after coming down with a rash and fever.
They finally determined it was from a tick bite that had happened at least a month earlier. At first they tried to get this under control with oral antibiotics, but that wasn't working.
It was pretty tough seeing her in the hospital getting her antibiotics that way. Now I am really cautious about my kids going outside or playing in the grass.
We like to trail ride with our horses, and I always make sure they have long sleeves on and are wearing insect repellent. |
|
honeybees
Post 5 |
Whenever I see any kind of skin rash in my children, I always watch it very closely. If I know they haven't been outside where they could get into something poisonous, I am always suspicious.
If I see it starting to spread, get worse, or they start running a fever, I like to find out what is going on.
Many times getting small red bumps is completely harmless and can be cleared up using an antibiotic cream, but sometimes there is something more serious going on.
Every one of my kids has had some kind of infection that caused them to have some petechiae spots, but thankfully none of them have been of the serious kind. |
|
John57
Post 4 |
We live in Colorado, and any time we get back from a hike or backpacking trip, I always make sure we don't have any ticks on us.
Once in awhile you will hear a few cases of a child getting Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and this can be really serious.
I remember hearing that one boy died of it because he didn't receive treatment in time. Because the symptoms can wait for awhile before they appear, it is hard to track down the cause.
It is also easy to just think they have a virus or case of the flu and it would be easy to wait a few days and see what happens.
If we ever get a high fever that won't stay down for more than a few hours, I am calling my doctor. When it comes to high fevers, I would much rather be safe than sorry.
|
|
turkay1
Post 3 |
@alisha-- I don't think you have Crohn's disease like @ysmina mentioned. You said you had blood tests done already. If you had Crohn's, your platelet count would be off and your doctor would have taken notice of that.
You might not be sick right now, but have you had the flu recently? Petechiae can show up after a viral infection too. A bad bout of vomiting or even intense crying can be causes of petechiae rash in children. My daughter used to get it sometimes as a toddler when she cried for too long.
If it comes and goes, you might want to jot down when it happens and what you were doing previously to pin down the cause. |
|
ysmina
Post 2 |
@alisha-- How old are you?
Have you been checked for Crohn's disease? I have had Crohn's disease since I was a child and I get the petechiae rashes whenever I have a flare. It was one of the first symptoms I had when I was eight and my doctors also hadn't found anything wrong with me for a while.
Vitamin deficiencies and liver problems seem to be one of the main causes of this. And doctors tend to check for these first. Not just because I have Crohn's, but I do believe that petechiae is a sign of a problem. It doesn't have to be serious, but there must be a reason for it.
I don't mean to alarm you or anything. But I do recommend that you talk with your parents and have them take you to another doctor. It's better to put your mind at ease than to keep wondering what's going on. |
|
alisha
Post 1 |
I've been getting petechiae purpura on particularly my arms for several months and I don't know what's causing it. I went to the doctor, had a physical and blood tests done but they couldn't find anything. I also don't have an infection, cold, fever, coughing or anything like that.
They seem to appear more heavily in the mornings and slightly fade by the end of the day. Do you think it's simply caused by pressure? I do sleep on my side a lot, however, the petechiae develops even on the arm that I don't sleep on.
My doctor said that I'm fine and that this will probably resolve itself. But I'm still worried and not sure what I should do. |
