BACKGROUND

We reviewed the clinical and laboratory manifestations and analyzed the outcome in children with Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) and gastrointestinal involvement.

METHODS

The medical records of 158 children who had Henoch-Schönlein purpura with gastrointestinal (GI) involvement admitted to our institution from June 1987 to December 1998 were reviewed. We retrospectively analyzed their demographic features, clinical manifestations, and outcome.

RESULTS

Totally 104 boys and 54 girls (male: female = 1.9:1) were enrolled in this study, with a mean age of diagnosis of 5.8+/-4.8 years (range: 2 to 13 years). Sixty-three (40%) of our patients had preceding upper respiratory tract infection. The main GI manifestations included abdominal pain (88%); GI bleeding (75%), and vomiting (25%). Bowel edema was found in 71% of examined patients. Upper GI endoscopy provided supportive evidence of HSP in 58% of patients examined. Five patients were found to have marked jejunal edema with bowel collapse leading to severe intestinal obstruction. Thirteen patients (8.2%) had emergent complications including massive blood loss from GI tract in 4, seizure in 2, severe hypoalbuminemia in 2, and emergent surgical condition in 6. Twenty-one patients (13%) experienced prolonged hospitalization >> or =10 days). Bilious vomiting, hematemesis, leukocytosis (>20000/cmm), high C-reactive protein (>50 mg/l), and hemorrhagic erosive duodenitis were found to correlate with prolonged hospitalization. Fourteen (20%) of 70 patients who received follow-up for more than 5 years experienced GI recurrence of HSP.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite severe and protracted GI symptoms in some HSP patients, the overall prognosis of GI involvement in children with HSP remains good.