Petechia

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Classification according to ICD-10
R23.3 Spontaneous ecchymoses
ICD-10 online (WHO version 2019)

Under petechiae is meant a plurality pinhead large bleeding from the capillaries in the skin or mucous membranes that may indicate a fault in the hemostasis. The first symptom is often tiny blood spots on the ankles and lower legs.

They are usually a sign of primary hemostasis disorder ; it is mostly a reduced number or impaired function of the platelets , e.g. B. in autoimmune thrombocytopenia or damage to the skin and its vessels (aging skin , cortisone damage ). An overdose of antiplatelet drugs can also sometimes lead to the formation of petechiae. Major petechial bleeding caused by a lack of platelets is also known as thrombocytopenic purpura , such as idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. It can also be an indication of Henoch-Schönlein purpura or Chikungunya fever . Furthermore, petechiae can occur as a result of leaks in the capillary vessels, for example due to inflammation of the small blood vessels ( vasculitis ), which, among other things, can indicate a vitamin deficiency. It is typical for petechiae that they cannot be pushed away with the finger (or better visibly with a glass spatula) , i. H. the redness remains even when the skin is pressed. This phenomenon is due to the fact that it is an extravasation that cannot flow through the blood vessels due to pressure.

Forensic medicine , petechiae on the head, often around the eyes or lids, can indicate venous congestion in the case of strangulations . This happens when the victim's resistance has obstructed the neck veins but not the arteries .

See also

literature

Individual evidence

  1. Gisela Zimmer: Exam preparation for forensic medicine: 48 tables . Georg Thieme Verlag, 2009, ISBN 978-3-13-141172-3 , p. 45.

Web links

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