If ever to your children, after cry, cough or vomit intensely, they have left some red dots on face and / or chest, that is the petechiae of effort, completely benign.
Petechiae are small red lesions, formed when a capillary is damaged, small cutaneous vascular effusions the size of a pinhead. They are usually due to the fragility of the skin capillaries.
Due to the effort that the child makes when crying, vomiting or coughing (not always, but in very intense cases), there are small blood vessels that break, and a small amount of blood is lost, creating red spots on the skin.
Since the effort of these processes is transmitted to the face, the location of these processes is usually around the eyes and mouth, although sometimes they also appear in the neck or chest.
Any red spot on the skin does not have to be a petechiae. The definition of petechia includes two more fundamental data: they did not exist before, that is, they are of very recent appearance and, most importantly, they are blood extravasations (hence their characteristic color).
Any skin lesion of this type should be assessed by the pediatrician, unless it is easily identifiable stress petechiae. This is because there are other types of petechiae produced by other factors, such as allergies or serious illnesses that must be treated urgently. Fever accompanied by petechiae is a matter of urgency.
Definitely, the petechiae of effort they are those that appear as a consequence of a persistent cough, intense crying or, more typically, of repeated vomiting. They are considered absolutely benign and disappear in a few days or even in a few hours.
