Sun, alcohol, and skin lesions

Submitted: 6 March 2023
Accepted: 20 April 2023
Published: 23 June 2023
Abstract Views: 490
PDF: 245
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Authors

A 65-year-old man presented to the emergency room with blistered not itching skin lesions on the dorsal surface of both hands, which developed recurrently after exposure to sun and solved spontaneously with scarring. The patient had a history of hypertension, diabetes mellitus type 2 and hypercholesterolemia. His medications included ramipril, metformin, simvastatin, and acetylsalicylic acid. He denied smoke, but he used to consume a large amount of alcohol (1 Lt of red wine daily). His body mass index was 29 (overweight). Blood exams revealed: altered glucose metabolism (fasting and post-prandial blood glucose, respectively 172 mg/dL and 267 mg/dL), macrocytosis (mean cell volume 100.6 fL), increased transaminases (AST 62 U/L and ALT 79 U/L, normal value 10-37) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT 255 U/L, normal value 7-40), and an iron assessment as follows: serum ferritin 2234 ng/mL, transferrin saturation 40%, serum iron 138 mcg/dL. Hepatitis C, hepatitis B, and HIV were excluded. Autoimmune screening was negative. Point of care ultrasound documented a grade 3 liver steatosis.

Dimensions

Altmetric

PlumX Metrics

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Citations

Elder GH, Worwood M. Mutations in the hemochromatosis gene, porphyria cutanea tarda, and iron overload. Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.) 1998; 1: 289-91. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/hep.510270142
Singal AK. Porphyria cutanea tarda: Recent update. Mol Genet Metabol 2019;3: 271-281. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymgme.2019.01.004
Bleasel NR, Varigos GA. Porphyria cutanea tarda. Australas J Dermatol 2000; 4: 197-206. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1440-0960.2000.00437.x
Gisbert JP, Garcia-Buey L, Alonso A, et al. Hepatocellular carcinoma risk in patients with porphyria cutanea tarda. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2004; 7: 689-92. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/01.meg.0000108318.52416.c9
Mogl MT, Pascher A, Presser J, et al. An unhappy triad: hemochromatosis, porphyria cutanea tarda and hepatocellular carcinoma-a case report. World J Gastroenterol 2007; 13: 1998-2001. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3748/wjg.v13.i13.1998

How to Cite

Poggiali, E., & Vercelli, A. (2023). Sun, alcohol, and skin lesions. Emergency Care Journal, 19(2). https://doi.org/10.4081/ecj.2023.11294