Purple skin
Purple skin: Introduction
A purple or blue-purple skin color can result from various colors.
Purple skin coloring is sometimes described as blueness
or redness, and some conditions causing purple coloring
may also be listed under blueness, cyanosis, redness,
hyperpigmentation,
or dark skin.
Another cause of purple skin color may be bruising and other conditions
may be listed under bruising or dark skin.
Any type of purple skin or skin color changes can be symptoms of serious disease
and need prompt professional
medical investigation....more »
» Review Causes of Purple skin:
full list
Causes of Purple skin:
The following medical conditions are some of the possible
causes of Purple skin.
There are likely to be other possible causes, so ask your doctor
about your symptoms.
See full list of 16
causes of Purple skin
» Review Causes of Purple skin:
full list
Purple skin: Symptom Checker
Listed below are some combinations of symptoms associated with Purple skin, as listed in our database.
Visit the Symptom Checker,
to add and remove symptoms and research your condition.
Symptom Checker
Symptom Checker
See full list of 655
Symptom Checker combinations related to Purple skin
Purple skin Treatments
Review further information on Purple skin Treatments.
Videos for Purple skin
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See full list of 4 related videos
Message Boards for Purple skin
Symptom specific forums:
The following patient stories in our interactive forums and message boards
relate to Purple skin or relevant symptoms:
Diagnostic tests for Purple skin:
Various tests are used in the diagnosis of Purple skin. Some of these are listed below :
- Physical examination
- Examine the purple skin in area or areas affected and note the features
- Examine for signs of systemic disease that may be associated with the cause of the purple skin - e.g. muscle weakness, muscle tenderness and swelling around the eyes in dermatomyositis.
- Examine for extensive bruises which may suggest Hemophilia, Christmas disease, platelet disorders or disseminated intravascular coagulation
- Examine for petechial body rash (pinhead size red - purple rash) which is common in any disorder that might cause thrombocytopenia (reduced platelets), platelet dysfunction or vasculitis.
- Blood tests
- more tests...»
See full list of 21
diagnostic tests for Purple skin
Purple skin: Animations
Purple skin: Comorbid Symptoms
Some of the comorbid or associated medical symptoms
for Purple skin may include these symptoms:
All associated co-morbid symptoms for Purple skin
Causes of General Symptom Types
Research the causes of these more general types of symptom:
Research the causes of related medical symptoms such as:
Causes of Similar Symptoms to Purple skin
Research the causes of these symptoms that are similar to, or related to, the symptom Purple skin:
Diagnosis Checklist: Questions your doctor may ask (and why!)
During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques in their assessment of Purple skin.
Your doctor may ask several questions when assessing
your condition. It is important to remember that your consultation is a two-way process and any extra information
you can share with your doctor about your symptoms may help them with their diagnosis.
Some of the questions your doctor may ask are listed below:
- How long have you noticed the purple skin?
Why: to determine if acute or chronic.
- Is the skin truly purple?
Why: A purple or blue-purple skin coloring is sometimes described as blueness or redness, and some conditions causing purple coloring may also be listed under blueness, cyanosis, redness, hyperpigmentation or dark skin. See cyanosis.
- Is the purple skin color localized or generalized?
- If localized purple discoloration to skin, what areas of the body are affected?
Why: may assist in diagnosis e.g. reddish purple flush around the eyes associated with swelling is characteristic of dermatomyositis.
- Was the purple skin present at birth?
Why: suggests port wine stain or strawberry nevus.
- more questions...»
See Diagnosis Checklist for Purple skin (22
listings)
Diagnosis Checklist: Associated symptoms your doctor may ask about (and why!)
Sometimes, other symptoms may be present and may help your doctor analyse
your condition.
The symptoms your doctor may ask about (in association with Purple skin) may include:
- Blue tongue?
Why: may indicate central cyanosis which is due to a lack of oxygenated hemoglobin in the blood vessels and thus may indicate high altitude, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, pulmonary embolism, cyanotic congenital heart disease, polycythaemia or hemoglobin abnormalities. Any cause of central cyanosis can also cause peripheral cyanosis and thus blue skin.
- Blue peripheries?
Why: may indicate exposure to cold, left ventricular failure, shock, arterial obstruction, venous obstruction or any of the causes of central cyanosis.
- Symptoms of sarcoidosis?
Why: e.g. shortness of breath, cough, tiredness, skin symptoms occur in 10% of cases and may include purple or brown plaques or nodules on face, nose, ears and neck in chronic sarcoidosis.
- Symptoms of dermatomyositis?
Why: e.g. muscle weakness, muscle tenderness, muscle pain, purple colored rash on face (especially on the eyelids, upper cheeks and forehead), swelling round the eyes, red rashes, pain in joints, Raynaud's phenomenon, difficulty swallowing, fever, weight loss, tiredness.
- Symptoms of Kaposi's sarcoma associated with AIDS?
Why: e.g. mildly elevated pink, purple or red spots or patches on the skin that may be round or oval appearing first on the upper body or in the mouth. They are associated with lymph node enlargement.
- more symptoms...»
See Diagnosis Checklist for Purple skin (22
listings)
Misdiagnosis and Purple skin
Psoriasis often undiagnosed cause of skin symptoms in children: Children who suffer
from the skin disorder called psoriasis can often go undiagnosed.
The main problem is that psoriasis is rare in children, and not often
seen by physicians for this reason.
children may receive treatment for fungal skin infections.
See misdiagnosis of psoriasis or symptoms of psoriasis....read more »
Read more about Misdiagnosis and Purple skin
Diagnostic Guides for Purple skin
Medical Books Excerpts
Read excertps from published book sections related to Purple skin
from the following published medical books
for more detailed information about Purple skin.
Free access (no registration): read all online diagnostic book sections about Purple skin
Medical Books Excerpts
- Purpura
- "In a Page: Signs and Symptoms" (2004)
- [ read ]
- Purpura
- "In A Page: Pediatric Signs and Symptoms" (2007)
- [ read ]
- Purpura
- "Handbook of Signs & Symptoms (Third Edition)" (2006)
- [ read ]
- Papular rash
- "Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition)" (2006)
- [ read ]
- Purpura
- "Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition)" (2006)
- [ read ]
- Purple striae
- "Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition)" (2006)
- [ read ]
- Purpura
- "Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses" (2007)
- [ read ]
- Purpura
- "Nursing: Interpreting Signs and Symptoms" (2007)
- [ read ]
Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.
Purple skin: Research Related Doctors & Specialists
Other ways to find a doctor, or use doctor, physician and specialist online research services:
Purple skin: Marketplace Products, Discounts & Offers
Products, offers and promotion categories available related to Purple skin:
Patient Surveys for Purple skin
Organs affected by Purple skin:
The list of organs typically affected by Purple skin may include, but is not limited to:
Detailed list of causes of Purple skin
The list below shows some of the causes of Purple skin mentioned in various sources:
See full list of 16
causes of Purple skin
How Common are these Causes of Purple skin?
This information refers to the general prevalence and incidence of these diseases,
not to how likely they are to be the actual cause of Purple skin.
Of the 16
causes of Purple skin that
we have listed, we have the following prevalence/incidence information:
- 0
causes are "very common" diseases
- 0
causes are "common" diseases
- 0
causes are "uncommon" diseases
- 1
causes are "rare" diseases
- 3
causes are "very rare" diseases
- 13
causes have no prevalence information.
See the analysis of the prevalence of 16
causes of Purple skin
Conditions listing symptoms: Purple skin:
The following list of conditions
have 'Purple skin' or similar
listed as a symptom in our database.
This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete.
Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause
of any symptom.
D
Dermatomyositis
... bluish purple discolored skin rash, bluish-purple skin rashE
Erythromelalgia
... red or purple skin patchesI
Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura
... purplish skin areasK
Kaposi's Sarcoma
... reddish-purple spots, purple spotsN
Necrotizing fasciitis
... violet skinS
Sarcoidosis
... purple skin patches
Join in at the forums
Ask or answer a question about symptoms or diseases at one of our
free interactive user forums.
Medical story forums: If you have a medical story then we want to hear it.
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Doctors and specialists: Who should I consult about Purple skin?
Depending on the seriousness of the onset of Purple skin, you may want to consult one of the following medical professionals.
Important:In extreme cases, always seek advice from emergency services :
Classifications of Purple skin:
Medical Conditions associated with Purple skin:
Dark skin (97 causes), Blue skin (371 causes), Cyanosis (372 causes), Skin symptoms (3695 causes), Skin problems (3427 causes), Skin color changes (1697 causes)
Symptoms related to Purple skin:
Blueness (372 causes), Cyanosis (372 causes), Redness (498 causes), Dark skin (97 causes), Hyperpigmentation (29 causes), Bruise (325 causes), Bulging veins (1 cause), Blue veins, Birthmark, Port-wine stain, Kaposi sarcoma, Hemorrhagic rash (3 causes)
Medical articles on signs and symptoms:
Doctor-patient articles related to symptoms and diagnosis:
These general medical articles may be of interest:
See full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis
Evidence Based Medicine Research for Purple skin
Medical research papers related to Purple skin include:
Research More Evidence-Based Medicine at TripDatabase.com
More Ways To Research Medical Signs and Symptoms:
» Next page: Causes of Purple skin
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