Images in Clinical Medicine
Kim Eagle, M.D., Editor
Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum
N Engl J Med 1993; 329:1240October 21, 1993
- Article
Figure 1 Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum.
Characteristic skin lesions can be seen in the axilla and anterior to the axilla in a patient with pseudoxanthoma elasticum, an inherited disorder of connective tissue. The lesions are yellow, xanthoma-like papules that have become confluent to form plaques, and there are redundant folds of skin in the axilla. In general, the skin lesions of pseudoxanthoma elasticum occur in flexural sites such as the neck, axillae (as in this patient), antecubital and popliteal fossae, and groin, and are said to resemble “plucked chicken skin.” Typically, patients with this disease also have angioid streaks on retinal examination and are at risk for premature cardiovascular disease.
Kim Eagle, M.D.
Mark Lebwohl, M.D.
Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY 10029
