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purpura

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.
purpura /pur·pu·ra/ (pur´pu-rah)
1. a small hemorrhage in the skin, mucous membrane, or serosal surface.
2. a group of disorders characterized by the presence of purpuric lesions, ecchymoses, and a tendency to bruise easily.purpu´ric

allergic purpura , anaphylactoid purpura Henoch-Schönlein p.
purpura annula´ris telangiecto´des  a rare form in which punctate erythematous lesions coalesce to form an annular or serpiginous pattern.
fibrinolytic purpura  purpura associated with increased fibrinolytic activity of the blood.
purpura ful´minans  nonthrombocytopenic purpura seen mainly in children, usually after an infectious disease, marked by fever, shock, anemia, and sudden, rapidly spreading symmetrical skin hemorrhages of the lower limbs, often associated with extensive intravascular thromboses and gangrene.
purpura hemorrha´gica  idiopathic thrombocytopenic p.
Henoch's purpura  Henoch-Schönlein purpura in which abdominal symptoms predominate.
Henoch-Schönlein purpura  nonthrombocytopenic purpura of unknown cause, usually in children; associated with symptoms such as urticaria, erythema, arthropathy and arthritis, gastrointestinal disorder, and renal involvement.
idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura  thrombocytopenic purpura not directly associated with a systemic disease, although often following a systemic infection; believed to be due to an IgG immunoglobulin that acts as an antibody against platelets.
malignant purpura  meningococcal meningitis.
nonthrombocytopenic purpura  purpura without any decrease in the platelet count of the blood.
Schönlein purpura  Henoch-Schönlein purpura with articular symptoms and without gastrointestinal symptoms.
Schönlein-Henoch purpura  Henoch-Schönlein p.
purpura seni´lis  dark purplish red ecchymoses occurring on the forearms and backs of the hands in the elderly.
thrombocytopenic purpura  any form in which the platelet count is decreased, occurring as a primary disease (idiopathic thrombocytopenic p.) or as a consequence of a primary hematologic disorder (secondary thrombocytopenic p.) .
thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura  a form of thrombotic microangiopathy marked by thrombocytopenia, hemolytic anemia, neurological manifestations, azotemia, fever, and thromboses in terminal arterioles and capillaries.

pur·pu·ra (pûrp-r, -py-)
n.
A condition characterized by hemorrhages in the skin and mucous membranes that result in the appearance of purplish spots or patches. Also called peliosis.

Purpura
A large, purplish-red circle on the skin. Caused by the leakage of blood out of a vessel and under the skin.

purpura
[pur′pyərə]
Etymology: L, purple
any of several bleeding disorders characterized by hemorrhage into the tissues, particularly beneath the skin or mucous membranes, producing ecchymoses or petechiae. The two major kinds of purpura are thrombocytopenic purpura and nonthrombocytopenic purpura. purpuric, adj. Compare petechiae and ecchymosis.

purpura (pur´pyoor),
n an extravasation of blood into the tissues, resulting in blue to black lesions of the skin or mucosa (petechiae and ecchymoses).
Enlarge picture
Purpura.
purpura, allergic,
n (anaphylactoid purpura) a thrombocytopenic or nonthrombocytopenic purpura related to an allergic reaction. Manifestations include the common symptoms of allergy.
purpura, anaphylactoid
n See purpura, allergic.
purpura, essential,
n See purpura, thrombocytopenic, idiopathic.
purpura hemorrhagica
n See purpura, thrombocytopenic and purpura, thrombocytopenic, idiopathic.
purpura, idiopathic thrombocytopenic,
n (essential purpura, land scurvy, primary purpura, purpura hemorrhagica) a type of unknown cause.
purpura, nonthrombocytopenic,
n a type related to increased capillary permeability. Included are allergic purpuras and those resulting from vitamin C deficiency, bacterial toxins (scarlet fever, typhoid), drug intoxications, and metabolic toxins (nephritis, liver disease).
purpura, primary,
n See purpura, thrombocytopenic, idiopathic.
purpura, secondary,
n See purpura, thrombocytopenic, symptomatic.
purpura, symptomatic thrombocytopenic,
n (secondary purpura) a type resulting from the effects of chemical, physical, vegetable, or animal agents or infections or related blood disorders.
purpura, thrombocytopathic
n a type associated with qualitative abnormalities of the platelets.
purpura, thrombocytopenic
n (essential thrombopenia, pseudohemophilia, hemorrhagica, Werlhof's disease) a type characterized by severe ecchymoses and petechiae associated with marked reduction in the numbers of blood platelets. There is prolonged bleeding time and poor clot retraction, but the coagulation and prothrombin times are normal. Hemorrhage may occur spontaneously from any area of the oral mucosa. This disease may be acute and fatal, whereas in other instances it may run a chronic course with intermittent attacks.
purpura, thrombotic thrombocytopenic,
n a febrile disease of unknown cause characterized by hemolytic anemia, neurologic symptoms, hemorrhage into the skin and mucous membranes, icterus, hepatosplenomegaly, low platelet count, and platelet thrombi occluding capillaries and arterioles.

purpura
a hemorrhagic disease characterized by extravasation of blood into the tissues, under the skin and through the mucous membranes, and producing spontaneous ecchymoses and petechiae on the skin. Similar lesions are produced in many specific diseases, e.g. epizootic hemorrhagic disease of deer, bracken poisoning in cattle, and leptospirosis in calves. In immune-mediated purpura there is a defect in the integrity of the vessel wall due to immunological mechanisms, which may also cause a thrombocytopenia.

anaphylactoid purpura
immune-mediated purpura; see also purpura.
fibrinolytic purpura
purpura associated with increased fibrinolytic activity of the blood.
purpura hemorrhagica
a well-defined disease of horses, occurring sporadically, usually associated with a respiratory tract infection. Clinical signs include cold, subcutaneous, edematous swellings, usually about the head and not always symmetrical, mucosal petechiation and high heart rate; affected horses commonly die within a few days. Nonthrombocytopenic.
neonatal purpura
alloimmune hemolytic anemia of the newborn in pigs is sometimes accompanied by a thrombocytopenic purpura, caused by antiplatelet antibodies. See also alloimmune thrombocytopenia.
nonthrombocytopenic purpura
purpura without any decrease in the platelet count of the blood. In such cases the cause of purpura is either abnormal capillary fragility or a clotting factor deficiency.
thrombocytopenic purpura
purpura associated with a decrease in the number of platelets in the blood. See also immune-mediated thrombocytopenia.
vascular purpura
that caused by loss of vascular integrity or function, as seen in vitamin C deficiency (scurvy), diabetes mellitus and hyperadrenocorticism.

purpura
Visible hemorrhage into a mucocutaneous region. See Cocktail purpura, Fulminant neonatal purpura, Henoch-Schönlein purpura, Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, Post-transfusion purpura.


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