NEONATAL PURPURAFULMINANS - A RARE CLINICAL PRESENTATION

Neonatal purpura fulminans is a rare, life threatening condition characterized by dermal microvascular thrombosis associated with disseminated intra vascular coagulation and perivascular hemorrhage that occurs in the newborn period(1). Neonatal purpura fulminans is associated with a hereditary deficiency of natural anticoagulants protein C, protein S as well as Antithrombin III caused by homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations(2)in proteinC and S gene. The acute infectious type(3) of purpura fulminans is due to infections mostly caused by gram negative cocci,staphylococcus aureus and group B streptococci . (4-6) We report a case, a 29 days old female baby with neonatal purpura fulminans due to late onset sepsis. She was successfully treated with iv antibiotics, fresh frozen plasma and LMW heparin and discharged. We discuss the presentation, management and review the literature.