Shwartzman phenomenon is a rare reaction of a body to particular types of

toxins A toxin is a naturally occurring organic poison produced by metabolic activities of living cells or organisms. Toxins occur especially as a protein or conjugated protein. The term toxin was first used by organic chemist Ludwig Brieger (1849–1 ...

, called

endotoxins Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) are large molecules consisting of a lipid and a polysaccharide that are bacterial toxins. They are composed of an O-antigen, an outer core, and an inner core all joined by a covalent bond, and are found in the outer me ...

, which cause

thrombosis Thrombosis (from Ancient Greek "clotting") is the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood through the circulatory system. When a blood vessel (a vein or an artery) is injured, the body uses platelets (thro ...

in the affected tissue. A clearing of the thrombosis results in a

reticuloendothelial blockade In immunology, the mononuclear phagocyte system or mononuclear phagocytic system (MPS) also known as the reticuloendothelial system or macrophage system is a part of the immune system that consists of the phagocytic cells located in reticular conn ...

, which prevents re-clearing of the thrombosis caused by a repeat introduction of the toxin. That will cause tissue

necrosis Necrosis () is a form of cell injury which results in the premature death of cells in living tissue by autolysis. Necrosis is caused by factors external to the cell or tissue, such as infection, or trauma which result in the unregulated dige ...

. Shwartzman phenomenon is usually observed during delivery or abortion, when foreign bodies are introduced into the tissues of the female

reproductive system The reproductive system of an organism, also known as the genital system, is the biological system made up of all the anatomical organs involved in sexual reproduction. Many non-living substances such as fluids, hormones, and pheromones are als ...

. The Shwartzman phenomenon is named for

Gregory Shwartzman Gregory may refer to: People and fictional characters * Gregory (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Gregory (surname), a surname Places Australia *Gregory, Queensland, a town in the Shire of ...

, the doctor at Mount Sinai Hospital in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

who was the first to develop the concept of

immune system The immune system is a network of biological processes that protects an organism from diseases. It detects and responds to a wide variety of pathogens, from viruses to parasitic worms, as well as cancer cells and objects such as wood splinte ...

hypersensitivity in the 1920s. This reaction was experimented using ''Neisseria meningitidis'' endotoxin. A related observation was made by Giuseppe Sanarelli leading to the term Sanarelli-Shwartzman phenomenon, however many modern works use more generic terms such as

Disseminated intravascular coagulation Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is a condition in which blood clots form throughout the body, blocking small blood vessels. Symptoms may include chest pain, shortness of breath, leg pain, problems speaking, or problems moving parts o ...

. This is notably seen with ''Neisseria meningitidis''.First Aid for the USMLE. 2009.

References

External links

{{Medical resources , DiseasesDB = 31433 , ICD10 = , ICD9 = , ICDO = , OMIM = , MedlinePlus = , eMedicineSubj = , eMedicineTopic = , MeshID = D012790 Toxicology