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Took Motrin And Benadryl For Mild Cold. Noticed Broken Capillaries All Over Body. Should I Be Concerned?
Question: I caught a mild cold from my daughter, took a Motrin and Benadryl before bed, woke up with broken capillaries all over body. Some concentrated together and others spread out. Concentrated areas are abdomen, thighs and back. Had chem panel, CBC, metabolic panel, pt time, inr, UA, Liver and lipid panels. Also, burning feeling popping up in different areas sporadically. All labs were perfect except Alt which was 1 point over normal. Started period same day. Doctor said its probably the virus, put me on 5 days of prednisone and ordered a redraw in 2 weeks. Also said it could be my immune system going overboard. 5 days later, the petechiae is slowly fading, not so bright but still clearly visible. Cold is almost gone. But burning in right leg has stayed and is concerning me. I do have periodic sciatica and this burning feels similar to that but in different spots. I can move my leg and it will go from calf to groin and then to foot. It is not consistent in area of leg. Should I be concerned or have some other test done? Could my immune system overdrive have caused some sort of nerve issue in one leg?
Hello dear,
As rightly mentioned by your treating physician it could be viral.
What happens actually in viral infections is that the immune system forms complexes with viral antigen.
These complexes can do following two things .
1. They can destroy the platelets and cause purpura.
2. They can get deposited in small vessels and cause vasculitis.
As you had burning pain and that too more in legs, probably it was vasculitis. The treatment of choice is prednisolone which you have already taken. Dont worry about the pain. In vasculitis pain persists for few days even when lesions are gone. It will decrease with time, although not completely, as you have sciatica.
Immune system overdrive wont affect just one nerve. So please don't worry about that
For now you dont need to do any other test. If you get similar lesions again get your XXXXXXX profile done. As vasculitis sometimes happens, only in XXXXXXX susceptible individuals.
Hope I answered your query
Thank you
As rightly mentioned by your treating physician it could be viral.
What happens actually in viral infections is that the immune system forms complexes with viral antigen.
These complexes can do following two things .
1. They can destroy the platelets and cause purpura.
2. They can get deposited in small vessels and cause vasculitis.
As you had burning pain and that too more in legs, probably it was vasculitis. The treatment of choice is prednisolone which you have already taken. Dont worry about the pain. In vasculitis pain persists for few days even when lesions are gone. It will decrease with time, although not completely, as you have sciatica.
Immune system overdrive wont affect just one nerve. So please don't worry about that
For now you dont need to do any other test. If you get similar lesions again get your XXXXXXX profile done. As vasculitis sometimes happens, only in XXXXXXX susceptible individuals.
Hope I answered your query
Thank you
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Mohammed Kappan
Answered by
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