A petechia () is a small red or purple spot (≤4 mm in diameter) that can appear on the

skin Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different ...

conjunctiva The conjunctiva is a thin mucous membrane that lines the inside of the eyelids and covers the sclera (the white of the eye). It is composed of non-keratinized, stratified squamous epithelium with goblet cells, stratified columnar epithel ...

retina The retina (from la, rete "net") is the innermost, light-sensitive layer of tissue of the eye of most vertebrates and some molluscs. The optics of the eye create a focused two-dimensional image of the visual world on the retina, which the ...

, and mucous membranes which is caused by haemorrhage of capillaries. The word is derived from Italian , 'freckle,' of obscure origin. It refers to one of the three descriptive types of hematoma differentiated by size, the other two being ecchymosis (>1cm in diameter) and

purpura Purpura () is a condition of red or purple discolored spots on the skin that do not blanch on applying pressure. The spots are caused by bleeding underneath the skin secondary to platelet disorders, vascular disorders, coagulation disorders, ...

(4-10mm in diameter). The term is always used in the plural (petechiae), since a single petechia is seldom noticed or significant.

Causes

Physical trauma

The most common cause of petechiae is through physical trauma such as a hard bout of coughing, holding breath, vomiting, or crying, which can result in facial petechiae, especially around the eyes. Such instances are harmless and usually disappear within a few days. * Constriction, asphyxiation – petechiae, especially in the eyes, may also occur when excessive pressure is applied to tissue (e.g., when a tourniquet is applied to an extremity or with excessive coughing or vomiting). * Sunburn, childbirth, weightlifting * Gua Sha, a Chinese treatment that scrapes the skin * High-G training *

Hickey A hickey, hickie or love bite in British English, is a bruise or bruise-like mark caused by kissing or sucking skin, usually on the neck, arm, or earlobe. While biting may be part of giving a hickey, sucking is sufficient to burst small superfici ...

Asphyxia Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects primarily the tissues and organs. There are many circumstances that can ...

tion * Choking game * Oral sex

Non-infectious conditions

* Vitamin C deficiency, scurvy * Vitamin K deficiency *

Leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...

* Thrombocytopenia – Low platelet counts or diminished platelet function (e.g., as a side effect of medications or during certain infections) can give rise to petechial spots * clotting factor deficiencies – ( Von Willebrand disease) * Hypocalcemia * Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura * Coeliac disease * Aplastic anaemia * Lupus * Kwashiorkor or Marasmus – Childhood protein-energy malnutrition * Erythroblastosis fetalis *

Henoch–Schönlein purpura Henoch–Schönlein purpura (HSP), also known as IgA vasculitis, is a disease of the skin, mucous membranes, and sometimes other organs that most commonly affects children. In the skin, the disease causes palpable purpura (small, raised areas of b ...

* Kawasaki disease *

Schamberg disease Schamberg's disease, (also known as "progressive pigmentary dermatosis of Schamberg", "purpura pigmentosa progressiva" (PPP), and "Schamberg's purpura") is a chronic discoloration of the skin found in people of all ages, usually only affecting ...

* Ehlers–Danlos syndrome * Sjögren syndrome – Petechial spots could occur due to vasculitis, an inflammation of the blood vessels. In such a case immediate treatment is needed to prevent permanent damage. Some malignancies can also cause petechiae to appear. * Radiation *

Fat embolism syndrome Fat embolism syndrome occurs when fat enters the blood stream (fat embolism) and results in symptoms. Symptoms generally begin within a day. This may include a petechial rash, decreased level of consciousness, and shortness of breath. Other symp ...

Infectious conditions

Babesiosis Babesiosis or piroplasmosis is a malaria-like parasitic disease caused by infection with a eukaryotic parasite in the order Piroplasmida, typically a ''Babesia'' or ''Theileria'', in the phylum Apicomplexa. Human babesiosis transmission via tic ...

Bolivian hemorrhagic fever Bolivian hemorrhagic fever (BHF), also known as black typhus or Ordog Fever, is a hemorrhagic fever and zoonotic infectious disease originating in Bolivia after infection by ''Machupo mammarenavirus''.Public Health Agency of Canada: ''Machupo Vir ...

Boutonneuse fever Boutonneuse fever (also called, Mediterranean spotted fever, ''fièvre boutonneuse'', Kenya tick typhus, Indian tick typhus, Marseilles fever, or Astrakhan fever) is a fever as a result of a rickettsial infection caused by the bacterium ''Rickettsi ...

Chikungunya Chikungunya is an infection caused by the ''Chikungunya virus'' (CHIKV). Symptoms include fever and joint pains. These typically occur two to twelve days after exposure. Other symptoms may include headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, and a r ...

Cerebral malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, fatigue (medical), tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In se ...

* Congenital syphilis *

Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a viral disease. Symptoms of CCHF may include fever, muscle pains, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, and bleeding into the skin. Onset of symptoms is less than two weeks following exposure. Complicatio ...

* Cytomegalovirus * Dengue fever *

Dukes' disease Dukes' disease, named after Clement Dukes, also known as fourth disease or Filatov-Dukes' disease (after Nil Filatov), is an exanthem. It is distinguished from measles or forms of rubella, though it was considered as a form of viral rash. Althou ...

* Ebola *

Endocarditis Endocarditis is an inflammation of the inner layer of the heart, the endocardium. It usually involves the heart valves. Other structures that may be involved include the interventricular septum, the chordae tendineae, the mural endocardium, or the ...

* Influenza A virus subtype H1N1 * Hantavirus * Infectious mononucleosis *

Marburg virus Marburg virus (MARV) is a hemorrhagic fever virus of the '' Filoviridae'' family of viruses and a member of the species '' Marburg marburgvirus'', genus '' Marburgvirus''. It causes Marburg virus disease in primates, a form of viral hemorrhagi ...

* Neisseria meningitidis * Rocky Mountain spotted fever * Scarlet fever * Typhus * Streptococcal pharyngitis – Petechiae on the

soft palate The soft palate (also known as the velum, palatal velum, or muscular palate) is, in mammals, the soft tissue constituting the back of the roof of the mouth. The soft palate is part of the palate of the mouth; the other part is the hard palat ...

are mainly associated with streptococcal pharyngitis, and as such it is an uncommon but highly specific finding.

Forensic science

Petechiae on the face and

(eyes) are unrelated to

asphyxia Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects primarily the tissues and organs. There are many circumstances that can ...

tion or hypoxia. Despite this, petechiae are used by police investigators in determining whether strangulation has been part of an attack. The documentation of the presence of petechiae on a victim can help police investigators prove the case. Petechiae resulting from strangulation can be relatively tiny and light in color to very bright and pronounced. Petechiae may be seen on the face, in the whites of the eyes or on the inside of the eyelids.

References

External links

{{Bleeding and clotting disorders, us=y Symptoms and signs: Skin and subcutaneous tissue