Henoch-Schönlein purpura in infants.

Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) usually affects children older than 2 years. Its occurrence in infants is considered rare.1 Infantile HSP has distinct features. Previous reports emphasized the presence of edema2-8 and the paucity of gastrointestinal and renal symptoms.2 Facial purpura has been reported by some authors.3-8 We describe seven infants with HSP, where the most common features were edema and diffuse purpura involving the face and ears, and discuss the possible mechanisms for this unusual site of the purpura. PATIENTS AND METHODS During 1978 through 1992, 145 children with HSP were hospitalized at the Departments of Pediatrics of the Hadassah University Hospitals at Mount Scopus and Ein Karem, Jerusalem.