ABSTRACT
A case of argyriasis in a 45-year-old woman is reported. When the patient was 34 she took for a period of 25 months a silver-containing pharmacological product (colloidal silicon with 0.5 percent of silver) in order to treat an intestinal dyspepsia with diarrheic episodes. A few months after discontinuing the treatment a cutaneous pigmentation of a greyish-blue color extending over the whole body, developed. There was also discoloration of the nails, hair, and of the oral and gingival mucosae. The differential diagnosis with other conditions that also develop anomalies of cutaneous pigmentation was established. It is thought that the appearance of the silver poisoning is due to different factors such as the quantity of silver intake, the individual sensitivity to the metal, and the greater or lesser period of exposure to sunlight. The importance of the skin biopsy in order to confirm the diagnosis is commented on. Typical pathologic findings include the presence of silver granules in the basal membrane of sudoriparous glands, around the pilosebaceous follicles, and in the connective tissue. Lastly, the authors insist on the necessity to avoid the prescription of silver-salt containing drugs as far as possible, since the cutaneous pigmentation is irreversible.
Subject(s)
Argyria , Dyspepsia/drug therapy , Female , Humans , Middle Aged , Mouth Diseases/chemically induced , Mouth Mucosa/drug effects , Pigmentation Disorders/chemically induced , Pigmentation Disorders/pathology , Silicones/adverse effects , Silver/therapeutic useABSTRACT
A case of Schilling type pure acute monocytic leukaemia (M5 variety of the FAB classification) in a 38-year-old man is presented. The initial predominant clinical manifestation was an increase hypertrophic gingivitis. The cytological type was established according to the morphologic and cytochemical criteria currently in use. The patient was treated with daunomycin (60 mg/m2 one day) and ARA-C (100 mg/m2/12 hours for 7 days) in a 2-week interval cycles. Total remission was achieved after the fifth series. The series have been repeated over 4 years with intervals of up to 6 or 8 weeks. Complete haematologic remission has been constant, with normalization of the serum muramidase levels. A gingival biopsy taken at the same time has shown no evidence of leukaemic infiltration. The high incidence of malignancy in this cytological variety of acute leukaemia is pointed out; it is normally less sensitive to chemotherapy than the myeloid types. Remission has been total over a long period of time, which is exceptional in this type of leukaemia. The mean survival rate as recorded in the literature is only a little over 3 months.
