- 1. Capillary fragility
- 2. Diseases that alter blood clotting
- 3. Use of medicines
- Causes of bruises in babies
The purple spots are caused by the leakage of blood on the skin, due to a rupture of blood vessels, usually caused by fragile blood vessels, strokes, alteration of platelets or blood clotting capacity.
Most of the time, these spots, which are known as purpura or ecchymosis, appear and disappear spontaneously, without causing symptoms, or may present with mild local pain. In addition to strokes, some of the main causes for the appearance of purple spots on the skin are:
1. Capillary fragility
Capillary fragility occurs when small blood vessels, responsible for the circulation of the skin, are fragile and break spontaneously, causing blood to leak under the skin, and the main causes are:
- Aging, which can cause a weakening in the structures that form and support the vessels, therefore, it is very common in the elderly; Allergies, in which there is angioedema, that is, swelling of the vessels due to an allergic reaction and which can rupture, causing bleeding; Genetic predisposition, which is very common in women, especially in certain periods of the menstrual cycle, which can also be associated with hormonal changes in women; Purple due to melancholy, in which there are purple spots on the skin due to situations of stress, anxiety and mainly sadness, for unknown reasons; Vitamin C deficiency, which causes weakness in the blood vessel walls, which can rupture spontaneously.
In some cases, the cause of capillary fragility may not be detected, and it is also common for some people to have purple spots more easily than others, without this indicating an illness or a health problem.
How to treat: purpura and bruises due to capillary fragility, usually appear and disappear spontaneously, without anything having to be done. However, it is possible to make them disappear more quickly, with the use of ointments for bruises, such as Hirudoid, Thrombocid or Desonol, for example, which reduce inflammation and facilitate blood reabsorption, decreasing the time of the stain.
Natural treatment: a home treatment option is to take orange juice or vitamin C supplement, as it helps to replenish collagen and heal the vessel more quickly. In addition, making compresses with warm water in the affected area also helps the blood to reabsorb more quickly through the body.
2. Diseases that alter blood clotting
Some diseases can interfere with blood clotting, either by reducing the number of platelets or altering their function, or by altering blood clotting factors, which facilitates the extravasation of blood through blood vessels and the formation of stains. Some of the main causes are:
- Infections by viruses, such as Dengue and Zika, or by bacteria, which affect platelet survival due to changes in immunity; Deficiency of vitamins and minerals, such as iron, folic acid and vitamin B12; Autoimmune diseases, which affect the survival of platelets due to changes in the person's immunity, such as lupus, vasculitis, immune and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, hemolytic-uremic syndrome or hypothyroidism, for example; Liver diseases, which interfere with blood clotting; Bone marrow diseases, such as aplastic anemia, myelodysplasia or cancer, for example; Genetic diseases, such as hemophilia or hereditary thrombocytopenia.
The spots caused by diseases are usually more serious than by capillary fragility, and their intensity varies according to the cause.
How to treat it: the treatment of coagulation changes depends on its cause, and it may be necessary, according to the doctor's indication, the use of drugs to regulate immunity, such as corticosteroids, treatment of infections, blood filtration, withdrawal of the spleen, or, as a last resort, the platelet transfusion. Better understand what are the main causes and how to treat platelet reduction.
3. Use of medicines
Some drugs, by interfering in the blood's clotting ability or in the action of platelets, predispose to the formation of purpura or ecchymosis on the skin, and some examples are AAS, Clopidogrel, Paracetamol, Hydralazine, Thiamine, chemotherapy or drugs of the anticoagulant class, such as Heparin, Marevan or Rivaroxaban, for example.
How to treat it: the possibility of removing or replacing the medication that causes the bleeding should be evaluated with the doctor and, during its use, it is important to avoid blows to reduce the risk of bleeding.
Causes of bruises in babies
Generally, the purple spots that are born with the baby, grayish or purplish in color, of various sizes or in different places on the body, are called Mongolian spots, and do not represent any health problem and are not the result of any trauma.
These spots disappear spontaneously at around 2 years of age, without the need for any specific treatment, being guided for about 15 minutes of sunbathing, before 10 am, per day. Learn how to identify and treat Mongolian spots.
The spots that appear after birth, on the other hand, can result from some local blow, capillary fragility, or, more rarely, be due to some coagulation disease, it is important to consult with the pediatrician to investigate the cause better.
If these spots appear in large quantities, worsen throughout the day or are accompanied by other symptoms, such as fever, bleeding or drowsiness, you should contact the pediatrician, or go immediately to the pediatric emergency room, to assess the presence diseases that interfere with clotting, such as inherited blood clotting defects, diseases that cause changes in platelets, or infections, for example.
