Acute hemorrhagic edema in a four-year-old Japanese boy

A case of acute hemorrhagic edema (AHE), a unique form of leukocytoclastic vasculitis limited only to the skin, was seen in a four-year-old boy. It was characterized by an abrupt onset of fever, peripheral edema, and rosette-shaped purpuric plaques. Although the skin lesion might be confused clinically with other dermatoses such as Henoch-Schönlein purpura, Sweet's disease and erythema multiforme, his laboratory data were normal, and the disorder follows a benign course with spontaneous resolution within one week.