Turkish Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 2012 , Vol 58 , Num 4

Cerebral Vasculitis in Henoch-Schönlein Purpura

Meltem Alkan Melikoğlu 1 ,Akın Erdal 1 ,Tuba Baykal 1 ,Kazım Şenel 2 ,Akın Levent 3 ,Sibel Okur 4 ,Mahir Uğur 1
1 Ataturk Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Fiziksel Tıp ve Rehabilitasyon Anabilim Dalı, Erzurum, Türkiye
2 Atatürk Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Fiziksel Tıp ve Rehabilitasyon Anabilim Dalı, Erzurum
3 Atatürk Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Radyoloji Anabilim Dalı, Erzurum, Türkiye
4 Atatürk Üniversitesi, Tıp Fakültesi, Fiziksel Tıp ve Rehabilitasyon Anabilim Dalı, Erzurum, Türkiye
DOI : 10.4274/tftr.82612

Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) is the most common systemic vasculitis of childhood, affecting the small blood vessels. The disease is a clinical syndrome characterized by multiple organ involvement including the skin, joints, gastrointestinal tract, and the kidneys. Headache and behavioral changes can be frequently seen during the course of the disease, but severe neurological signs such as seizures, focal neurologic deficits, intracerebral hematoma, mononeuropathies, and polyradiculoneuropathies are the rare complications of HSP. In this report, we described a 17-year-old girl with HSP who presented with seizures and disturbance of consciousness. The subsequent magnetic resonance imaging of the brain demonstrated findings consistent with cerebral vasculitis. The pulse steroid therapy was performed immediately after the diagnosis and clinical improvement was achieved rapidly. In conclusion, we suggest that cerebral vasculitis should be considered in all HSP patients with neurological symptoms and signs.

Keywords : Henoch-Schönlein purpura; cerebral vasculitis; magnetic resonance imaging