Thyroid Dysfunction and Linear Pigmented Purpuric Dermatosis in A 15-Year-Old Girl

Thyroid Dysfunction and Linear Pigmented Purpuric

Abstract

Pigmented purpuric dermatoses (PPD) are a group of skin disorders characterized by petechial haemorrhages resulting from capillaritis and are benign and self-limiting. They usually present as remitting and relapsing, non-palpable, flat purpura distributed bilaterally on the legs of the elderly. Linear presentation is rare and occurs mainly among children. The aetiology of PPD is not known, but some factors, such as drugs, physical activity, and capillary fragility, appear as trigger agents.

Pigmented purpuric dermatoses can also be associated with systemic diseases like diabetes mellitus, thyroid dysfunction, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, liver diseases, solid neoplasms, mycosis fungoides, etc. We present the case of a 15-year-old girl with PPD associated with thyroid dysfunction.

Conclusion: Pigmented purpuric dermatoses with linear presentation are rare and usually occur in children with a unilateral distribution. A high index of suspicion aids diagnosis, and with atypical presentations, other diseases like thyroid disorder, vasculitis, collagen vascular diseases, and coagulopathies should be screened for.