Purpura Hyperglobulinemia of Waldenström

Abstract

SINCE Waldenström's1 description of 3 cases of purpura hyperglobulinemia in 1943, the number of cases reported in the literature has been rapidly increasing. Recent observation of a case in the University of California Medical Center occasioned a critical review of the literature.Clinical PictureThe condition, one in which purpura and increased serum globulins coexist, has been described in adults of all ages. Typically, the purpura occurs on the lower extremities and is provoked by prolonged standing or walking or by wearing of tight garments. It also occurs on the arms (provoked by minor trauma or carrying of heavy objects) . . .