User:Mr. Ibrahem/Petechiae

Petechiae are small (less than 2 mm) red or purple spot in the skin or mucous membranes caused by minor bleeding from a broken capillary blood vessels. They do not turn white when pushed on. Some causes, such as coughing and vomiting, only produce petechiae above the nipple line.

Causes include infections such as enterovirus, Dengue, or meningococcal disease; injury such as non accidental trauma, coughing, or vomiting; blood disorders such as leukemia and idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura; vasculitis such as Henoch-Schonlein purpura; connective tissue disorders such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome; drug reactions; and vitamin K deficiency. The underlying mechanism involves bleeding into the skin, often as a result of low platelets, platelet dysfunction, blood clotting disorders, and loss of vascular integrity.

Petechiae are one of the three types of bleeding into the skin, with the other two being purpura and ecchymosis (bruise). Purpura are 2–10 millimetres in diameter while ecchymosis are defined as larger than 1 centimeter. A hematoma in contrast is a deeper bruise.

Treatment depends on the underlying cause. This may vary from simply reassurance to intravenous antibiotics, or hospital admission. Petechiae are common. They represent the reason for about 2.5% of visits to pediatric emergency departments. They were first described in 1855 by Auguste Ambroise Tardieu. The word is derived from Latin for "a spot".