Henoch-Schönlein purpura in children and adults: clinical differences in a defined population

To examine epidemiologic, clinical, and outcome differences between children and adults with Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) in a well-defined population.

Retrospective study of unselected patients with HSP seen at the only referral hospital for the Lugo region of Northwest Spain between 1980 and 2000. Patients were classified according to the criteria proposed by Michel et al. Two well-differentiated age groups were established for comparison: children (under 14 years of age) and adults (over 20 years of age). Also, to assess possible differences in the outcome, only those patients with at least 1 year of follow-up were included in the study.

Seventy-three children and 31 adults fulfilled the inclusion criteria described above. Unlike in children, HSP in adults was more common in males. While in children, HSP manifested more commonly in fall and winter, summer and winter were the most common seasons of onset in adults. The frequency of gastrointestinal manifestations was similar in both groups. However, during the course of the disease, 6 of the 31 adults (19%) had severe renal manifestations and another 4 (13%) renal insufficiency. In children, by contrast, the frequency of severe renal manifestations or renal insufficiency during the course of the disease was significantly reduced compared with adults. After 6 years' median follow-up in children, complete recovery was observed in most cases. However, after 5 years' median follow-up, almost 40% of adults had persistent hematuria and 3 of them (10%) renal insufficiency that required hemodialysis in 2 cases.

HSP is generally benign and self-limited in children and more severe in adults.