autoerythrocyte sensitization syndrome

Definition: a condition, usually occurring in women, in which the person bruises easily (purpura simplex) and the ecchymoses tend to enlarge and involve adjacent tissues, resulting in pain in the affected parts; so called because similar lesions are produced by inoculation of the person's blood or various components of red blood cells and it is thought to be a form of localized autosensitization, although no specific antibodies have been demonstrable.

Synonym(s): Gardner-Diamond syndrome

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