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Child Has White Spots On Hand And Forearm. Purple Discoloration In Arm When Hanging Down
My 14 year old son gets small white spots on the back of his right hand and up the forearm whenever he has his hands hanging down at his sides. The white spots disappear as soon as he bends his arms back up. I also noticed that his arm and particularly his hand (right side only) become very dark in colour (almost purple) when he allows his arms to relax and hang at his side. Again, the colour returns as soon as he elevates his arms from the hanging position. Thank you.
Tue, 5 Mar 2013
Hi
Thank you for your query
Compression on the arteries, veins or nerves supplying the arm and forearm may lead to such symptoms. Similar changes in color of the extremities in response to cold is called Raynaud's phenomenon. The pressure is most likely at the armpit or axilla level and that is why such changes occur with the movement of arms. Your son needs a thorough evaluation in terms of Doppler of the arm, nerve conduction studies etc. It might not turn out to be anything significant and that is what we hope for. But it may also point to something serious like a mass pressing in the axilla. You should consult a pediatric surgeon for the same.
Hope that helps
God bless you
Thank you for your query
Compression on the arteries, veins or nerves supplying the arm and forearm may lead to such symptoms. Similar changes in color of the extremities in response to cold is called Raynaud's phenomenon. The pressure is most likely at the armpit or axilla level and that is why such changes occur with the movement of arms. Your son needs a thorough evaluation in terms of Doppler of the arm, nerve conduction studies etc. It might not turn out to be anything significant and that is what we hope for. But it may also point to something serious like a mass pressing in the axilla. You should consult a pediatric surgeon for the same.
Hope that helps
God bless you
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