Allergic purpura with hypoprothrombinemia

Summary A short description of the conception of disease compiled by SEIDLMAYER: »Die frühinfantile, postinfektiöse Kokarden‐Pur‐pura.« The disease occurs in infancy and childhood, up to the age of three years. Most often it is associated with catarrhal infections. It manifests itself through eruption of characteristic purpuric efflorescences, essentially localized to the extensor surfaces of the extremities, and the face, besides urticarial eruptions and a tendency to localized edemata. A case of purpura of this type is referred. Of special interest in this patient were two relations, viz.: 1. An unusually strong, hemorrhagic cutaneous reaction to pneumococci, suggesting an infectious‐allergic genesis. 2. A very greatly prolonged prothrombin time (more than five minutes), which could be demonstrated as long as the tendency of hemorrhage existed, and became normal at the same time as the hemorrhages ceased. The possibility of hypoprothrombinemia as a eontributary cause of the hemorrhages is discussed.