What's IgA vasculitis?
IgA vasculitis is the most common small-vessel vasculitis of childhood, causing palpable purpura with joint, gastrointestinal, and kidney involvement from IgA immune deposits.
| Features mapped | 6 |
|---|---|
| Treatments mapped | 1 |
| Published sources | 3 |
| Last reviewed | 2026-08-04 |
Signs and symptoms
Glomerulopathy
Kidney involvement (nephritis) is a serious complication of IgA vasculitis and a cause of long-term kidney damage in children.
Vasculitis
IgA vasculitis is inflammation of the small blood vessels (vasculitis) driven by IgA immune deposits.
Abdominal pain
Abdominal pain is a common feature of IgA vasculitis when it affects the gastrointestinal tract.
Purpura
Palpable purpura, raised reddish-purple spots usually on the legs, is the hallmark sign of IgA vasculitis.
Gastrointestinal hemorrhage
IgA vasculitis can cause bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract, ranging from mild to severe.
Arthralgia
Joint pain (arthralgia) commonly accompanies the rash of IgA vasculitis.
Treatment and management
What the research describes, not a recommendation. Treatment decisions belong with your clinician.
This covers treatments that appear in the published research mapped here. Investigational and experimental therapies are not included, so their absence is a boundary of this map, not a sign they do not exist.
corticosteroids
Corticosteroids (glucocorticoids) are used to treat IgA vasculitis, including skin and more severe organ involvement.
Used to help with: Purpura.
“A 50-year-old man receiving glucocorticoids for cutaneous IgAV developed nephrotic syndrome and acute nephritic syndrome.”
How to read the evidence labels
Where this comes from
This guide is built from 3 published source(s). Every claim above links back to one of them. Click any source ID to read the original on PubMed.
Take it further
Printed, source-linked documents built from this condition's graph — ready to bring to an appointment or attach to a coverage request. Every claim carries its published source, the same as this guide.