Rash

I was diagnosed with ITP in November 2008. Since then I have discovered that this can be a very confusing disease. I can be covered with bruises and have a platelet count of 50. Or I can have just a couple of spots of petechia and have a count in the 20s. Most of the time my count stays in the 30s - 40's.

Recently I noticed clusters of petechia on my thighs. I called my hematologists office and they told me to come in right away. The doctor's office did a CBC and my count came back in the 40's. The doctor looked at my legs and said it looked like a rash, not petechia.

I then went to a Dermatologist who did a biopsy. The results came back as Schamberg's Disease. It is a rash caused by leaky blood vessels near the skin. The red blood cells fall apart and release iron which causes a rust-colored rash.

Does anyone else with IPT also suffer from Schamberg's disease? I am wondering if my blood is leaking because of the ITP.

That would be unlikely. They can usually make a good diagnosis with a biopsy by looking at skin cells. Also, if Schamberg's is caused by red cells, it wouldn't be platelet-related.

How do they treat that?

It is treated with a cortisone cream.