 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Drug-induced pigmentation" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(September 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Drug induced pigmentation may take on many different appearances, one of the most common being a change in the color, orpigmentation, of theskin.
| Drug/Drug Group | Clinical Features[1] |
|---|---|
| NSAIDs | Purple, red, yellow, slate, or blue-grey pigmentedmacules on theextremities andtrunk –drug eruption |
| Antimalarials | Blue-ishpigmentation oflower extremities, but can also involve the entirenail bed,nose,cheeks,forehead,ears, andoral mucosa |
| Psychotropic Drugs | Blue-gray pigmentation on sun-exposed areas |
| Amiodarone | Blue-gray pigmentation on sun-exposed areas and yellowstippling ofcornea |
| Tetracyclines | Brown pigmentation, most often onteeth |
| Heavy Metals | Gold – blue-gray pigmentation on sun-exposed areas,Silver – Silvergranules in skin, nails,mucous membranes |
| Cytotoxic drug | Variable bymolecule |
Drug-induced pigmentation of the skin may occur as a consequence ofdrug administration, and the mechanism may bepostinflammatory hyperpigmentation in some cases, but frequently is related to actual deposition of the offendingdrug in the skin.[2]: 125–6 The incidence of this change varies, and depends on the type ofmedication involved. Some of the most common drugs involved are NSAIDs, antimalarials, psychotropic drugs, Amiodarone,cytotoxic drugs, tetracyclines, and heavy metals such as silver and gold (which must beingested, not just worn).[1]
There are 4 possible mechanisms to how this change may occur:[1]