PIGMENTATION OF THE SKIN IN ADDISON'S DISEASE, ACANTHOSIS NIGRICANS AND HEMOCHROMATOSIS

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to call attention to the clinical and histopathologic features, and to the differential characteristics of the increase in pigmentation of the skin that were noted in Addison's disease, acanthosis nigricans and hemochromatosis. Increased pigmentation of the skin, either local or general, may be due to one of the following: (1) an increased amount of melanin, (2) deposits of various heavy metals, (3) deposits of extraneous pigments and (4) vascular disturbance. Sometimes all four factors are involved in a given case. Increased pigmentation with melanin may be merely a racial characteristic; it may be due to a congenital anomaly such as xeroderma pigmentosa and nevi of various types, or it may be due to physical agents such as actinic rays, roentgen rays, heat, trauma, to the ingestion of drugs such as arsenic and phenolphthalein, to various types of dermatoses, especially in their terminal stages, or