Henoch-Schönlein purpura

Henoch-Schönlein purpura is a fairly common pediatric disorder. The role of immunosuppression in the treatment of HSP continues to be controversial and awaits a multicenter controlled trial. The prognosis for the majority of patients is very good. Less than 2% of patients develop a serious complication associated with long-term morbidity. The most common serious complication is end-stage kidney disease, which may develop late in the disease after the symptoms from other organ systems have resolved. Patients with HSP should be carefully followed for several years to look for evidence of late renal involvement, and those patients who develop renal involvement should be followed regularly throughout their lifetime.