Petechiae – What Is Petechiae and Its Causes & Symptoms

What are petechiae and its causes and symptoms?

PETECHIAE – The tiny spots of bleeding beneath the skin is called petechiae and these are the causes and symptoms of this condition.

Have you ever seen tiny spots of bleeding under the skin that is either in the color of purple, red, or brown like the size of a pinpoint and almost look like rashes?

Petechiae
Photo lifted from MSD Manuals

This condition is called petechiae; these red dots that appear on your skin are not rashes. These dots are usually red and they are neither raised nor bumpy. This is caused by broken capillaries or the tiny blood vessels in the skin.

They are also not itchy or painful. These dots can appear anywhere but are usually seen in arms, butt, inside the eyelids, legs, mouth, and stomach.

It commonly happens but there are cases where it indicates something which could be a minor one or something serious.

These are conditions that can possibly cause this occurrence:

  • Endocarditis is a condition where the other symptoms are fever, chills, fatigue, body aches, and shortness of breath.
  • Infections such as strep throat with scarlet fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and hantavirus may likely cause this.
  • Injuries to the skin.
  • Leukemia or cancer in the blood and bone marrow.
  • Medications like antibiotics and antidepressants. Medicines for blood thinning may also reap the same effects.
  • A viral infection that is called mononucleosis may also cause this.
  • When you do activities that strain the body or a particular part.
  • Thrombocytopenia or the condition where you have a low platelet level. This increases the risk of a blood clot.
  • Vasculitis is a condition characterized by swelling or inflammation in the blood vessel.
  • Deficiency in Vitamin C (scurvy) and in Vitamin K.

An article from Mayo Clinic, the bleeding is mainly caused by the following:

  • Prolonged straining
  • Medications like phenytoin (cerebryx), penicillin, and quinine (qualaquine)
  • Medical conditions

Mayo furthered that if there’s a widespread occurrence of this condition, one must see a doctor immediately because there might be underlying issues that can be simple or serious.

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