phamton
The Other Orlando Themepark
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2002
- Messages
- 10,472
I tried to find the old threads about this with no luck, so I decided to post a new thread.
http://walking.about.com/od/medhot/a/legrash.htm
The common heat leg rash now has a name
Go to any multi-day walking event in the summer and you will see it - a red leg rash on the calves of many walkers. Often it starts above the sock line and makes red patches and splotches up their calves. It usually doesn't itch. We believe it is a heat-related leg rash as these same walkers don't get it in cooler weather. What is it?
Golfer's Vasculitis
Ask most physicians about this common rash and they draw a blank. That is probably due to few people seeking medical help for it. By the time they got a doctor's appointment, it would have cleared up, as it commonly goes away in a couple of days. At last, a paper in the "Australasian Journal of Dermatology" has described it and proposed naming it "Golfer's vasculitis."
Causes of the Heat Leg Rash
The research article said many people underwent extensive allergy testing, believing they must be having a reaction to some chemical or plant.
But it is simply an irritation of the blood vessels following prolonged exercise in the heat, such as walking for extended periods or playing 18 holes of golf. It is more common in people over 50. In my experience, walkers can't pinpoint anything new they used that may be causing a reaction. And so many walkers have it that they couldn't all have contacted the same irritant. The source is simply heat and age, your leg blood vessels getting irritated from the heat.
Prevention
The research offered no treatment or prevention. It seems to occur in healthy, active people and they suggest it should not be a health concern. They recommend not getting allergy testing, etc.
Treatment
In my non-medical experience at Breast Cancer 3-Day Walks and walking conventions, this rash appears on a vast range of walkers and commonly goes away by itself after a few days. Pampering yourself after a good day's long walk with a cool bath, sitting with your feet up, or using cool wet towels on the rash areas may be relieving.
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1440-0960.2005.00127.x
Australasian Journal of Dermatology
Volume 46 Issue 1 Page 11 - February 2005
To cite this article: Robert I Kelly, Jacinta Opie, Rosemary Nixon (2005)
Golfer's vasculitis
Australasian Journal of Dermatology 46 (1), 1114.
doi:10.1111/j.1440-0960.2005.00127.x
SUMMARY
A number of patients presented with an erythematous, purpuric rash occurring on the legs in association with playing golf and also after prolonged walks or hikes. Many patients believed that it was an allergic reaction to grasses or insecticides and had sometimes undergone extensive allergy testing. We collected reports of 17 such cases from dermatologists in the state of Victoria, Australia. Patients were interviewed by phone and asked to submit photographs of the rash if possible. Of these, the eruption developed in 15 after playing 18 holes of golf and in three following prolonged hikes. The rash would usually develop over the summer months under hot conditions. Most patients were over 50 years of age when the tendency to develop the eruption began. Biopsies of the rash in the active phase showed leukocytoclastic vasculitis. Patch testing and investigations for potential underlying causes for vasculitis were negative or unremarkable. It would seem that this is a common but poorly documented condition. The clinical presentation and histology would support the conclusion that it represents a leukocytoclastic vasculitis induced by prolonged exercise under hot conditions. The findings would suggest that it occurs in healthy people and extensive investigation with blood tests or allergy testing is inappropriate. We believe the condition should be termed 'golfer's vasculitis', as golf appears to be the most common precipitating event and such a term would enable the condition to become more widely recognized.
http://walking.about.com/od/medhot/a/legrash.htm
The common heat leg rash now has a name
Go to any multi-day walking event in the summer and you will see it - a red leg rash on the calves of many walkers. Often it starts above the sock line and makes red patches and splotches up their calves. It usually doesn't itch. We believe it is a heat-related leg rash as these same walkers don't get it in cooler weather. What is it?
Golfer's Vasculitis
Ask most physicians about this common rash and they draw a blank. That is probably due to few people seeking medical help for it. By the time they got a doctor's appointment, it would have cleared up, as it commonly goes away in a couple of days. At last, a paper in the "Australasian Journal of Dermatology" has described it and proposed naming it "Golfer's vasculitis."
Causes of the Heat Leg Rash
The research article said many people underwent extensive allergy testing, believing they must be having a reaction to some chemical or plant.
But it is simply an irritation of the blood vessels following prolonged exercise in the heat, such as walking for extended periods or playing 18 holes of golf. It is more common in people over 50. In my experience, walkers can't pinpoint anything new they used that may be causing a reaction. And so many walkers have it that they couldn't all have contacted the same irritant. The source is simply heat and age, your leg blood vessels getting irritated from the heat.
Prevention
The research offered no treatment or prevention. It seems to occur in healthy, active people and they suggest it should not be a health concern. They recommend not getting allergy testing, etc.
Treatment
In my non-medical experience at Breast Cancer 3-Day Walks and walking conventions, this rash appears on a vast range of walkers and commonly goes away by itself after a few days. Pampering yourself after a good day's long walk with a cool bath, sitting with your feet up, or using cool wet towels on the rash areas may be relieving.
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1440-0960.2005.00127.x
Australasian Journal of Dermatology
Volume 46 Issue 1 Page 11 - February 2005
To cite this article: Robert I Kelly, Jacinta Opie, Rosemary Nixon (2005)
Golfer's vasculitis
Australasian Journal of Dermatology 46 (1), 1114.
doi:10.1111/j.1440-0960.2005.00127.x
SUMMARY
A number of patients presented with an erythematous, purpuric rash occurring on the legs in association with playing golf and also after prolonged walks or hikes. Many patients believed that it was an allergic reaction to grasses or insecticides and had sometimes undergone extensive allergy testing. We collected reports of 17 such cases from dermatologists in the state of Victoria, Australia. Patients were interviewed by phone and asked to submit photographs of the rash if possible. Of these, the eruption developed in 15 after playing 18 holes of golf and in three following prolonged hikes. The rash would usually develop over the summer months under hot conditions. Most patients were over 50 years of age when the tendency to develop the eruption began. Biopsies of the rash in the active phase showed leukocytoclastic vasculitis. Patch testing and investigations for potential underlying causes for vasculitis were negative or unremarkable. It would seem that this is a common but poorly documented condition. The clinical presentation and histology would support the conclusion that it represents a leukocytoclastic vasculitis induced by prolonged exercise under hot conditions. The findings would suggest that it occurs in healthy people and extensive investigation with blood tests or allergy testing is inappropriate. We believe the condition should be termed 'golfer's vasculitis', as golf appears to be the most common precipitating event and such a term would enable the condition to become more widely recognized.
I don't golf, so I don't know if it would show up under those conditions or not..
. The past couple years he has been getting this on the golf course. We have attributed it to chemicals used. He had a really bad case last week at the state golf tournament. I have been doing some research on this because we were trying to figure out what the heck it is.
, but it was not affected, so I assumed reflection was the culprit.
