Images in Clinical Medicine

Argyria

Bruce A. Bouts, M.D.

N Engl J Med 1999; 340:1554May 20, 1999

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Figure 1 A 56-year-old woman has had discolored skin since the age of 14 (Panel A, left, and Panel B). At the age of 11 the patient was given nose drops of unknown composition for “allergies,” and three years later her skin turned gray. The pigmentation extends to her waist. She was thought to have argyria, and a skin biopsy at the age of 15 confirmed the presence of silver deposition. The facial pigmentation was diffuse until the age of 36, but it became patchy after dermabrasion. The patient has had no other related problems. She recalled that when she was in the recovery room after a lumpectomy for breast cancer at the age of 42, the nurses were alarmed because they thought she had cyanosis.

Colloidal silver products sold in the early 1900s had silver concentrations as high as 30 percent. Suspensions of silver, available now in some health food stores and pharmacies, are touted for the treatment of many disorders, including the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, cancer, sore throats, meningitis, parasites, chronic fatigue, and acne, without substantiation.

Bruce A. Bouts, M.D.
Blanchard Valley Medical Associates, Findlay, OH 45840

Citing Articles (4)

Citing Articles

1. 1

   Alan B. G. Lansdown. 2012. Silver and Gold. .
   CrossRef

2. 2

   Peter Greaves. 2012. Integumentary System. , 11-68.
   CrossRef

3. 3

   Tae Young Han, Hee Sun Chang, Hyun Kyung Lee, Sook-Ja Son. (2011) Successful treatment of argyria using a low-fluence Q-switched 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser. International Journal of Dermatology 50:6, 751-753
   CrossRef

4. 4

   J. M. L. White, A. M. Powell, K. Brady, R. Russell-Jones. (2003) Severe generalized argyria secondary to ingestion of colloidal silver protein. Clinical and Experimental Dermatology 28:3, 254-256
   CrossRef