Indian Doctors Diagnose 11-Year-Old With Rare Hematohidrosis After 3 Months of Stress-Focused Treatment
Updated
Updated · Livescience.com · Jun 3
Indian Doctors Diagnose 11-Year-Old With Rare Hematohidrosis After 3 Months of Stress-Focused Treatment
1 articles · Updated · Livescience.com · Jun 3
Summary
An 11-year-old boy in India was diagnosed with stress-associated hematohidrosis after a month of unexplained bleeding episodes from his eyes, ears and nose, with doctors ruling out injury, clotting problems and self-harm.
Hospital tests found blood in the eye and ear secretions but normal blood counts and von Willebrand factor levels, while psychiatric assessment linked the episodes to academic stress, peer pressure and parental expectations.
propranolol, cognitive behavioral therapy and parental counseling sharply reduced the episodes within two weeks; after four weeks only mild occasional bleeding remained, and by three months he was symptom-free in daily life.
Fewer than 50 hematohidrosis cases have been reported in medical literature, the doctors said, and the mechanism remains uncertain even though several earlier reports have also linked the condition to psychological stress.