Purpura Fulminans: a Rare but Fierce Presentation of Pneumococcal Sepsis

Authors

• Adeel Nasrullah Department of Internal Medicine, Allegheny Health Network; Pittsburgh, USA
• Anam Javed Department of Internal Medicine, University College of Medicine and Dentistry, Lahore, Pakistan
• Usman Tariq Department of Internal Medicine, Allegheny Health Network; Pittsburgh, USA
• Meilin Young Departement of Pulmonology and Critical care, Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh, USA
• Zunera Moeen Department of Internal Medicine, Texas Tech Permian Basin, Odessa, USA
• Marvin Balaan Departement of Pulmonology and Critical care, Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh, USA

ADEEL.SHIFA@GMAIL.COM

Keywords

Abstract

Infectious purpura fulminans (PF) is a rare presentation of disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC) due to diffuse intravascular thrombosis and haemorrhagic infarction of the skin. PF can present in infancy/childhood or adulthood and usually presents as ecchymotic skin lesions, fever and hypotension. It is most commonly a consequence of sepsis related to Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae or Haemophilus influenzae. Despite aggressive management of sepsis with intravenous fluids, antibiotics, and conventional and nonconventional therapies, the condition still carries a mortality rate of 43%^[1]. Streptococcus pneumoniae mostly presents with community-acquired pneumonia. We present a case of PF secondary to DIC related to Pneumococcal sepsis in an otherwise healthy and immunocompetent patient.