A recent case of an 84-year-old man in Hong Kong highlights the arrival of a rare condition known as generalized argyria, which resulted in a permanent bluish-gray discoloration of the skin and other tissues due to silver accumulation.
Upon admission, doctors found that the patient's skin had an ashen appearance with silvery fingernails and white eyes; this unusual coloration was confirmed to be due to a serum silver level more than 40 times the normal reference.
Generalized argyria occurs when ionic silver accumulates in the body from ingestion, leading to irreversible skin discoloration, particularly in sun-exposed areas, due to the photoreduction of silver ions.
While chelation therapy is typically effective for heavy metal toxicity, it does not work for argyria; nonetheless, some studies indicate laser therapy may offer limited improvement for skin discoloration.
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