Hemothorax associated with Henoch-Schonlein purpura

Hemothorax is an extremely rare complication of Henoche-Schonlein purpura. In this report, we encountered a 9-year-old girl who suffered from nonthrombocytopenic purpura on her eyelids, buttocks, and lower limbs with hypertension, heme-positive stools, high serum immunoglobulin A, and low serum complement component 3. Her skin biopsy revealed leukocytoclastic vasculitis with immunoglobulin A deposition. In addition, physical examination showed dullness on percussion and quiet breath sounds on the left chest. Chest X-ray showed a large pleural effusion on the left hemithorax. Computed tomography of her thorax revealed massive left-sided hemothorax with mediastinal shift to the right side. Most critically, pleural fluid evacuated by the chest tube was bloody. The patient was diagnosed as having Henoche-Schonlein purpura in combination with hemothorax, and treated with pulse methylprednisolone followed by oral corticosteroids plus cyclophosphamide. Fortunately, we achieved excellent outcomes and the patient recovered gradually within a week. Copyright (C) 2016, Taiwanese Dermatological Association. Published by Elsevier Taiwan LLC.