Diseases and Conditions

Henoch-Schonlein Purpura

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Henoch-Schönlein Purpura (HSP), also known as IgA Vasculitis (IgAV), is a disease marked by the inflammation of the body’s small blood vessels. Although children between the ages of 2 to 11 are the most susceptible to HSP, adults can get the disease as well.

According to Professor Alan Salama, Professor of Nephrology and Honorary Consultant Nephrologist at the Royal Free Hospital in London, everybody is capable of making the antibody IgA that protects the sensitive lining of our airways, gut, and throat. When IgA gets stuck in the blood vessels, it causes inflammation, or vasculitis, in that area. Sometimes, IgA gets stuck in other organs with small capillaries, like the kidneys, causing Henoch-Schönlein Nephritis, which is signaled by the presence of blood in the urine.