Skip to main content
eScholarship
Open Access Publications from the University of California

Dermatology Online Journal

Dermatology Online Journal bannerUC Davis

Multiple bluish papules and nodules in a 12-year-old child with lower gastrointestinal bleeding: a diagnostic challenge

Abstract

Blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome (BRBNS) and familial multiple glomuvenous malformations (GVM) are genetic disorders characterized by multiple cutaneous vascular malformations. Unlike multiple GVM, BRBNS comprises a risk of systemic involvement with vascular malformations in other organs, potentially causing life-threatening bleeding. The correct distinction between these two conditions is challenging due to their clinical similarity, but it is crucial in light of the pivotal differences in prognosis and follow-up. We report a case of multiple glomuvenous malformations in a child with lower gastrointestinal bleeding that posed a thought-provoking diagnosis.