Presentation of a case of Polyarteritis Nodosa in pediatric age

Introduction: polyarteritis Nodosa is a necrotizing vasculitis of medium and small caliber arteries, with multiorgan involvement and characteristically does not occur in arterioles, venules and capillaries. It is a disease of low incidence and is described less frequently in children compared to the adult population.

Case presentation: 16-year-old female patient, from a rural area, sexually active for two years, with previous health history and no known allergies. She had a smoking habit of at least one pack of cigarettes per day and occasional alcoholic beverages. She was taken to Guanajay Hospital for presenting purpuric-hemorrhagic skin lesions in the facial region and upper and lower limbs, associated with severe pain and functional impotence of both lower limbs and a septic condition without apparent focalization, initially the presence of Schönlein-Henoch Syndrome was suspected. Subsequently, she was referred to the "Juan Manuel Márquez" Pediatric Hospital for further study and treatment after 12 days of evolution. According to the protocols of the institution, an interdisciplinary assessment was performed and a diagnosis of Polyarteritis Nodosa was made.

Conclusions: this presentation constituted one more look at the knowledge of Polyarteritis Nodosa, because despite its rarity, a thorough knowledge of the subject guarantees early diagnosis and treatment, which improves the prognosis of these patients.