Epistaxis due to Wegener's granulomatosis in a pediatric patient

Hayes, Don; Iocono, Joseph A.; Bennett, Jeffery S.; Lachman, David Corey; Ballard, Hubert O.

doi:10.1016/j.amjoto.2009.05.001

« Previous Next »American Journal of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Medicine and Surgery
Volume 31, Issue 5 , Pages 368-371, September 2010

Epistaxis due to Wegener's granulomatosis in a pediatric patient☆☆☆

Don Hayes Jr, MD
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, J410 Kentucky Clinic, Lexington, KY, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, J410 Kentucky Clinic, Lexington, KY, USA
- Corresponding author. Department of Pediatrics, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, J410 Kentucky Clinic, 740 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY 40536, USA. Tel.: +1 859 257 5536; fax: +1 859 257 1888.
Joseph A. Iocono, MD
- Department of Surgery, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, MS235 Chandler Medical Center, Lexington, KY, USA
Jeffery S. Bennett, MD
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, HA415 Chandler Medical Center, Lexington, KY, USA
David Corey Lachman, MD
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Kentucky Pediatric Residency Program, Lexington, KY, USA
Hubert O. Ballard, MD
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, MS467 Chandler Medical Center, Lexington, KY, USA

Received 19 April 2009 published online 01 July 2009.

Abstract

Epistaxis is a common problem in children that typically is not severe and seldom requires hospitalization. The nose is a highly vascular structure with a large surface area; subsequently, it is highly predisposed to bleeding. Childhood vasculitides are very rare and are commonly diagnosed by characteristic lesions on imaging studies along with syndrome recognition by clinicians. We present a case of recurrent epistaxis that persisted over 3 months due to Wegener's granulomatosis in an adolescent that was misdiagnosed as a benign hemorrhage from Kiesselbach's plexus.