What is purpura?
When blood leaks from small blood vessels under the skin's surface, purpura forms - a red, purple, or brown rash that appears on the skin.
The spots usually appear on the face and neck. A purpuric rash is likely to look like a bruise-like blood spot under the skin. On light-skinned people, the rash is red or purple, while on darker-skinned people, it is brown or black.
Purpura itself is not a medical condition, but a symptom of another condition.
Anyone can develop purpura, although it is more common in adults. If a child has purpura, the child is likely to recover much faster and may not require any specific treatment.
Causes of thrombocytopenic purpura include:
- Medications that affect clotting or platelet function;
- Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura;
- Immune thrombocytopenia;
- Infection in the bloodstream;
- Viral infections;
- Bacterial infections;
- Lupus;
- Bone marrow disorders.
Causes of nonthrombocytopenic purpura include:
- Medications or steroids that affect clotting or platelet function;
- Blood clotting disorders;
- Weakened blood vessels due to age or sun exposure;
- Congenital conditions;
- Vitamin C deficiency;
- Inflammation of blood vessels.
Purpura usually does not cause complications, although the underlying cause of purpura (the disease or condition that causes this symptom) can worsen the patient's health.
Be sure to consult a doctor if you notice bruising or blood-like spots.
Source:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/22695-purpura
