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Dermatology (Expert Forum)
Petechiae or not??
Answered by
Alan Rockoff, MD - dermatology, Child Skin Problems
The Rockoff Dermatology Center
Brookline - MA
Welcome to the DERMATOLOGY FORUM! Questions in this forum are answered by Dermatologists from St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital, under the direction of Andrew Alexis, M.D., M.P.H.
Petechiae or not??
by napereira, Jun 17, 2005 12:00AM
Hello,
Almost two weeks ago I went to the ER because I was scared and noticed what seemed to be petechiae on my legs, feet and back. In other words, tiny red dots that looked like blood under the skin. I was afraid because my platelet counts throughout the years tended to be on the lower end, but doctors never thought it was a problem. I freaked out, and am admittedly a bit of a hypochondriac. I went to the ER and the doctor ran a CBC with platelet counts as well as a PTT and some other clotting test. Everything came back normal - my platelets were at 184000. He thought maybe it was an allergic reaction to new medication I had taken and stopped a few weeks prior (kutrase for digestion). I called my Gastro and she said anything is possible but not likely the cause. I continue seeing these dots come and go. They are mainly on my legs and top of feet and back although not nearly as bad as a few weeks ago. I worry because of leukemia or some other thing I look up online. What could this be??? Would these blood tests have ruled out anything serious? I'm VERY worried they missed something.. Please help. Thank you.
Sad guy in South Florida
Almost two weeks ago I went to the ER because I was scared and noticed what seemed to be petechiae on my legs, feet and back. In other words, tiny red dots that looked like blood under the skin. I was afraid because my platelet counts throughout the years tended to be on the lower end, but doctors never thought it was a problem. I freaked out, and am admittedly a bit of a hypochondriac. I went to the ER and the doctor ran a CBC with platelet counts as well as a PTT and some other clotting test. Everything came back normal - my platelets were at 184000. He thought maybe it was an allergic reaction to new medication I had taken and stopped a few weeks prior (kutrase for digestion). I called my Gastro and she said anything is possible but not likely the cause. I continue seeing these dots come and go. They are mainly on my legs and top of feet and back although not nearly as bad as a few weeks ago. I worry because of leukemia or some other thing I look up online. What could this be??? Would these blood tests have ruled out anything serious? I'm VERY worried they missed something.. Please help. Thank you.
Sad guy in South Florida
Doctor's Answer
by Alan Rockoff, MD, Jun 17, 2005 12:00AM
, Jun 17, 2005 12:00AM
Don't worry, they didn't. It's true that blood disorders can cause little red spots (or big ones), but the blood tests they did would have shown abnormalities they obviously didn't. So what caused the spots? Most often, nothing in particular--a virus can do it. Allergies don't. My advice is to wait them out. I'd expect them to go away in a week or so. If not, see a dermatologist. But with normal blood results, I can't think of anything serious. There are lots of minor skin changes that come and go and don't mean much.
Take care.
Dr. Rockoff
Take care.
Dr. Rockoff
Member Comments (2)
by napereira, Jun 18, 2005 12:00AM
Thank you for your response. I guess that these issues always have a psychological effect on me as well. I haven't been able to eat or sleep well since this started and thoughts of deadly diseases have occupied my mind - I'm only 30 years old and I feel like I'm 80. :(
