What are some important precipitating causes of small vessel leukocytoclastic vasculitis? - Infections: Bacterial (streptococcal infections, bacterial endocarditis), viral (parvovirus B19, HIV, hepatitis A–C), mycobacterial (Hansen’s disease, tuberculosis), fungal (Candida albicans), protozoan (Plasmodium malariae), helminthic (Schistosoma haematobium, S. mansoni, Onchocerca volvulus)
- Drugs: Aspirin, sulfonamides, penicillins, barbiturates, amphetamines, propylthiouracil.
- Malignancies: Lymphomas, colonic carcinoma, hairy cell leukemia, multiple myeloma, lung cancer, renal cell carcinoma, prostate cancer, breast cancer, head and neck cancer In the majority of cases of leukocytoclastic vasculitis, the precipitating antigen cannot be identified.
Veraldi S, Mancuso R, Rizzitelli G, et al: Henoch-Schönlein syndrome associated with human parvovirus B19 primary infection, Eur J Dermatol 9:232–233, 1999. |