Petechiae rash on shoulder and back

[craziedaisy]

Please reasure me. My 6 year old son has come in from playing with a friend tonight and has what looks like Petechiae rash on back and shoulder. They were doing alot of rugby tackles and wrestling which could explain the marks but is it usual to get this marking or should I be panicking.

Could have been.
is he unwell, fever, aversion to light?
If he is fine in himself it is unlikely to be M.
My dh gets them from his backpack.

If it's unexplained and wasn't there before I would at least ring OOH for advice. It is possible he got it from the tackles but I'd want to rule out other causes too.

Seems fine in himself and not aware of the marks but did say that was where his friend was sqeezing him. Do you really think I should call OOH tonight ?

Well the brusing looks fainter today but still present. Not sure what I should do? Is petechiae ok if you know it was done by injury or does it still warrant further investigation. He is taking Cetirizine at the moment for hayfever so not sure if that has any bearing. Anyone able to advise me please.

It sounds most likely that the petechiae were caused by the injury, especially if they are fainter today. However, any rash that doesn't fade under a glass should be checked just to be on the safe side.

I'm sorry but I don't know if his hayfever treatment would have any effect.

It's hard to know what to do for the best, but for me with a 6yo I think I would prefer to err on the side of caution.

Petechia are tiny broken blood vessels on the skin surface. In effect bruises. They occur with a squeezing type injury rather than a blow which will bruise. If your child is well it is not septicaemia or any serious condition. If he has had no recent illnesses, unusual bruises, is completely normal in himself I would not worry about this. If there are other things that are worring you contact your gp.

Anti histamines do not have bleeding as a side effect btw.

It is probably nothing, but I would advise you to get it checked as a petechial rash should never be ignored.

Please can someone please calm me or reasure me. I have made appointment for doctors for tomorrow but noticed a few more spots under my ds's armpit tonight. He said that his friends were picking him up under armpits so I am not sure if that would explain new marks. Has anyone elses child had this problem and it was nothing too serious trying not to google.....

My ds1 used to get these type of spots under his armpits from being picked up :)

As sneeze said it sounds like they have been caused by a squeeze type injury which would occur if his friends were picking him up under his armpits.

If it is meningitis you are worried about, DS would be very unwell in himself if he had this, and definitely not out playing with his friends. Plus, he would have other neurological symptoms like a severe headache, stiff neck and aversion to light - the rash comes out later.

Could this be a sign of ITP? Low platelets?

Non blanching rashes can occur in several conditions and in several different ways. Some unfortunate children develop these rashes with a feverish illness which terrifies everyone including the professionals even though its not serious. Then its usually the mother who stays calm while everyone else panics!! Its really pointless to speculate and you have done the right thing in getting an appointment to be checked over as you are worried. The important thing we always said in A&E is 'look at the child, not the thermometer/rash/vomiting etc!' If your DS is otherwise well relax. As moniker says the rash from meningitis/septicaemia occurs at the end when the child is extremely ill. Hope its just a simple explanation for you tomorrow.

Thanks everyone. I guess I am worried that there is something wrong with his blood. I have been up looking at him sleeping peacefully with a torch tonight to inspect for brusies on his legs. He does have quite a few but then again I think that is normal for him and they are located on the front of his legs on the shin area. I think I just need to switch off tonight and try and stay calm. As my mum pointed out he seems to have a lots of energy at the moment and has a great appettite.

I'm glad you have an appointment and hope you get some reassurance.

I suspect I am in the position that you fear as my son was diagnosed with leukaemia last year, but I hope I can offer a little reassurance for you. When he was diagnosed he did have a small amount of petechiae, BUT he also had some large, unexplainable bruises on his back and the back of his thighs. With hindsight, he also was unusually tired, had very dark circles under his eyes and had lost his appetite, so the fact that your boy has loads of energy and a great appetite is very positive. When he was diagnosed they were actually considering HSP or idiopathic thrombocytopenia as the cause of the rash as these are much more likely to be the cause of a petechial rash in a well child.

Good luck today - I hope I haven't worried you as I was trying to do te exact opposite!

Thanks Tabitha. I hope that your son is going on ok it must have been a very tough time for you all. We have been to the doctors and she had a quick look at his back which has faded alot. She seemed happy with the explanation as to how he got them and said do you know what I get those alot on my shoulder from carrying my handbag. Said he seemed well in himself and said that rough play was probably the cause. She said that she would only do bloods if he became covered in the rash or seemed unwell. I will keep a careful eye out for anymore. Thanks to everyone for ttheir advise.

That's great news! Are you feeling a little better now? Don't be shy about seeking further reassurance if you need it :-)
My DS is doing really well - its been a fairly traumatic year but not actually as bad as I feared thankfully!

Excellent news
Tabitha. So glad your DS is doing well. Leukaemia used to be horribly difficult to treat, now most children stay in remission and are well. As you say the large bruises show up on places you dont expect bruises.