Cutaneous hyperpigmentation caused by systemic drugs

Hydroxychloroquine in nephrology: current status and future directions

Hydroxychloroquine is one of the oldest disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs in clinical use. The drug interferes with lysosomal activity and antigen presentation, inhibits autophagy, and decreases transcription of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Owing to its immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, anti-thrombotic effect, hydroxychloroquine has been an integral part of therapy for systemic lupus erythematosus and lupus nephritis for several decades. The therapeutic versatility of hydroxychloroquine has led to repurposing it for other clinical conditions, with recent studies showing reduction in proteinuria in IgA nephropathy. Research is also underway to investigate the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine in primary membranous nephropathy, Alport's syndrome, systemic vasculitis, anti-GBM disease, acute kidney injury and for cardiovascular risk reduction in chronic kidney disease. Hydroxychloroquine is well-tolerated, inexpensive, and widely available and therefore, should its indications expand in the future, it would certainly be welcomed. However, clinicians should be aware of the risk of irreversible and progressive retinal toxicity and rarely, cardiomyopathy. Monitoring hydroxychloroquine levels in blood appears to be a promising tool to evaluate compliance, individualize the dose and reduce the risk of retinal toxicity, although this is not yet standard clinical practice. In this review, we discuss the existing knowledge regarding the mechanism of action of hydroxychloroquine, its utility in lupus nephritis and other kidney diseases, the main adverse effects and the evidence gaps that need to be addressed in future research. Created with Biorender.com. HCQ, hydroxychloroquine; GBM, glomerular basement membrane; mDC, myeloid dendritic cell; MHC, major histocompatibility complex; TLR, toll-like receptor.

How toxic is an old friend? A review of the safety of hydroxychloroquine in clinical practice

Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and its close relative chloroquine (CQ) were initially used as antimalarial agents but are now widely prescribed in rheumatology, dermatology and immunology for the management of autoimmune diseases. HCQ is considered to have a better long-term safety profile than CQ and is therefore more commonly used. HCQ has a key role in the treatment of connective tissue diseases including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), where it provides beneficial immunomodulation without clinically significant immunosuppression. HCQ can also assist in managing inflammatory arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Debate around toxicity of HCQ in COVID-19 has challenged those who regularly prescribe HCQ to discuss its potential toxicities. Accordingly, we have reviewed the adverse effect profile of HCQ to provide guidance about this therapeutic agent in clinical practice.

Mitigating acute chemotherapy-associated adverse events in patients with cancer

Despite the enthusiasm surrounding novel targeted agents and immunotherapies, chemotherapy remains the mainstay treatment for most human malignancies, either alone or in combination. Yet, the burden of chemotherapy-associated adverse events (CAAEs) remains high and, importantly, is associated with considerable morbidity, mortality and costs that affect patients across multiple dimensions, including physical, emotional and social functioning. CAAEs can directly affect patient outcomes and indirectly increase the risk of cancer recurrence by compromising treatment intensity and continuity. Systematic efforts to identify and critically summarize the evidence on management approaches for CAAEs remain limited. Herein, we review the most common acute CAAEs having a major effect on survival, quality of life, function and/or continuation of optimal therapy. We focus on selected acute toxicities that occur during treatment, summarizing their underlying pathophysiology, multifactorial aetiologies, evidenced-based treatments, prevention strategies and management recommendations. We also summarize the available evidence on risk factors, validated risk assessment tools and other efforts to optimize symptom control in patients most likely to benefit in order to personalize the prevention and treatment of acute CAAEs. Finally, we discuss innovative symptom monitoring and supportive care interventions that are under development to further improve the outcomes of patients with cancer.

Black Bone Disease of the Skull

We present an image of a patient's skull characterized by dark, irregular discoloration. This was discovered incidentally in a 66-year-old man who underwent craniotomy for resection of a glioblastoma. This image demonstrates cranial black bone disease. This is an abnormal bone pigmentation associated with long-term tetracycline use, as occurred in this patient.

Pigmented Deposits in the Skin

Pigmented deposits can occur in the skin due to many and varied causes. Some of them are systemic conditions accompanied by involvement of internal organs. Others have serious prognostic implications, and early diagnosis can help in the correct and adequate management of the diseases. In addition, some of them are quite innocuous and the correct diagnosis avoids unnecessary treatments. In this article, we review the morphologic features of some of the most common and some of the less usual pigmented deposits in skin other than tattoos.

Minocycline-induced hyperpigmentation in multibacillary leprosy

Minocycline has been used in the treatment of leprosy since the demonstration of its efficacy in inhibiting Mycobacterium leprae growth in 1987. Hyperpigmentation, a well-documented adverse effect, classically shows 3 clinical and histological patterns: type I consists of blue-black pigmentation in areas of current or previous inflammation, type II consists of blue-gray pigmentation of normal skin, often seen on the legs, and type III consists of diffuse muddy-brown pigmentation accentuated on sun-exposed sites. Whereas type I hyperpigmentation stains positively for hemosiderin and type III hyperpigmentation stains positively for melanin, type II hyperpigmentation stains positively for both. We describe 2 patients with leprosy on minocycline therapy who developed multiple patches of blue-gray pigmentation within preexisting leprosy lesions. Biopsies from both patients demonstrated deposition of brownish-black pigment granules within the cytoplasm of foamy histiocytes that was highlighted by both Perls and Fontana-Masson stains. Given the clinical and histological findings in our patients, it is as yet unclear whether this coexistent type I clinical pattern and type II histopathologic pattern of pigmentation is unique to multibacillary leprosy. These findings provide support for the existence of additional subtypes of minocycline-induced hyperpigmentation that do not adhere to the classic 3-type model described.

Drug-induced hperpigemntation: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Acquired hyperpigmentation of the skin is sometimes interpreted as an adverse effect of drugs. Systematic studies are rare in the literature; predominantly case reports have been published. The present review provides evaluates the evidence for a causal relation.

METHODS

The reports on a relationship between hyperpigmentation and drugs from 1970 until June 2012 found in MEDLINE and EMBASE were rated according to the SIGN grading system for clinical studies. In this system, the grade of evidence of each report is rated. The highest grade of evidence for each drug is cited.

RESULTS

306 publications were included. They were predominantly case reports; only a small number of case series was available. Only very few case-control-studies and randomized controlled trials (RCT) were found. For the majority of drugs, there was a low level of evidence for a causal relationship in drug-induced hyperpigmentation. A causal relationship is likely only for prostaglandins, minocycline, phenothiazine, nicotine, and antimalarial drugs.

CONCLUSIONS

There is little evidence for drug-induced hyperpigmentation. A causal relationship appears liklely only for a limited number of drugs.

Mucosal pigmentation caused by imatinib: report of three cases

Imatinib mesylate (STI-571, Gleevec(®)), a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is a first-line medication for treating chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Clinical studies revealed very good hematological responses without significant side effects. However, imatinib may lead to mucosal pigmentation. Three patients, two males aged 64 and 53 and one female aged 29 presented with a painless, diffuse, grey-blue pigmentation of the mucosa of the hard palate. Both male patients had a history of CML and had been on imatinib for 4 and 10 years, respectively. The female patient had been on imatinib for 4 years for pelvic fibromatosis. Histopathologically, deposition of fine, dark-brown, spherical granules was noted within the connective tissue. There was no inflammation or hemorrhage, and no melanosis or melanocytic hyperplasia in the epithelium. The granules stained positively for both Fontana-Masson and Prussian blue stains. Imatinib-induced pigmentation is similar to that caused by other medications such as minocycline and anti-malarial medications, namely the deposition of a drug metabolite containing melanin and iron.

Hydroxychloroquine-induced myopathy

A 70-year-old woman with a history of undifferentiated connective tissue disease was admitted for work-up of shortness of breath and progressive weakness over the course of 1 year. She had been treated with hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) for last 5 years. Her evaluation revealed diffuse muscle weakness and hyperpigmentation of the skin consistent with HCQ deposition, although this did not entirely explain the patient's dyspnea. The patient underwent cardiac evaluation because of occasional substernal chest pain and persistent elevation in serum troponin I, but her ECG and adenosine thallium study did not show any signs of ischemic heart disease. The diagnosis of HCQ-induced myopathy was made with electromyography and muscle biopsy. HCQ was discontinued, with improvement of the patient's signs and symptoms over the course of the next 18 months.We propose that this patient was experiencing myocardial toxicity as a consequence of HCQ deposition disease with her clinical picture of skeletal muscle myopathy and HCQ deposition in the skin. A Medline search yielded several case reports as well as a case series of patients with antimalarial-induced myopathy. HCQ-induced myopathy may be less recognized because of its presentation with signs, symptoms, and laboratory results which suggest other critical diseases. Moreover, this medication is often prescribed to treat illnesses whose clinical manifestations may include myopathy.

Disorders of pigmentation

Skin color is highly individual and the variations are controlled by numerous genes. The different skin colors result from the size and number of melanosomes and do not mirror the amount of melanocytes. Disorders of pigmentation can result from migration abnormalities of melanocytes from the neural crest to the skin during embryogenesis. In addition, impairment of melanosome transfer to the surrounding keratinocytes, an alteration in melanin synthesis and a defective degradation or removal of melanin may lead to abnormal skin pigmentation. Immunologic or toxic mediated destructions of melanocytes can end in pigmentation disorders. Disorders of pigmentation are classified in hypo- or hyperpigmentation which can occur as a genetic or acquired disease. They can manifest locally or diffuse. Congenital hypopigmentation can be restricted to the skin as in piebaldism or they represent a systemic disease as in Menkes disease or phenylketonuria. Localized hypo- or hyperpigmentation in children may serve as markers for systemic diseases. Ash-leaf hypopigmentation are characteristic for tuberous sclerosis and more than 5 café-au-lait spots suggest neurofibromatosis 1 (von Recklinghausen disease). The most common autoimmune-induced depigmentation is vitiligo. Generalized hyperpigmentation only rarely reflects a primary genetic disorder but is most often from acquired diseases as in Addison disease, secondary hemochromatosis or primary biliary cirrhosis. Treatment of pigmentation disorders are based on a diagnosis which sometimes allow a specific intervention. Cosmetically acceptable results are difficult to obtain.

Hydroxychloroquine-induced hyperpigmentation: the staining pattern

We report two cases of hydroxychloroquine-induced hyperpigmentation presenting in a 50-year-old Caucasian female (case 1) and a 78-year-old female (case 2), both receiving 400 mg per day. Case 1 had an arthritis predominant undifferentiated connective tissue disease, which was treated with hydroxychloroquine for 4-5 years. She presented with a mottled, reticulated macular gray pigmentation involving the upper back and shoulders. Case 2 had a history of systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis, treated with hydroxychloroquine for 1.5 years. She presented to the hospital for treatment of constrictive cardiomyopathy and was noted to have a blue macular pigmentation involving the right temple. The biopsies from both patients showed superficial dermal, yellow-brown, non-refractile and coarsely granular pigment deposition. A Fontana-Masson stain highlighted some of these granules, while the Perl's iron stain was negative. Rare, previous reports of hyperpigmentation indicate the presence of both melanin and hemosiderin in patients being treated with antimalarial medication. To our knowledge, this staining pattern for hydroxychloroquine has not been previously reported in the literature and supports that hydroxychloroquine, in addition to chloroquine, binds to melanin.

Oral mucosal pigmentation secondary to minocycline therapy: report of two cases and a review of the literature

Minocycline is a semisynthetic broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent that was first introduced into clinical practice in 1967. The most common use of minocycline is for the long-term treatment of acne vulgaris. A well-recognized side effect of minocycline treatment is pigmentation, which has been reported in multiple tissues and fluids including thyroid, skin, nail beds, sclera, bone, and teeth. While there have been several reports of oral pigmentation following minocycline therapy, these have been, for the most part, pigmentation of the underlying bone with the overlying oral mucosa only appearing pigmented. We report two cases of actual pigmented oral mucosal lesions on the hard palate secondary to minocycline therapy with the accompanying histopathology, followed by a discussion of minocycline-induced oral pigmentation and a differential diagnosis of these lesions.

Cutaneous manifestations of hydroxyurea therapy in childhood: case report and review

Hydroxyurea is commonly used in the treatment of various myeloproliferative disorders. In conventional pediatric clinical practice, its use is limited to benign hematologic conditions such as sickle cell disease and thalassemia. Long-term hydroxyurea use is associated with various adverse mucocutaneous effects including hyperpigmentation, alopecia, leg ulcers, and lichenoid eruptions. We report a 10-year-old boy with chronic myelogenous leukemia who presented with hyperpigmentation of the skin and nails 3 months after the start of hydroxyurea therapy. Melanonychia of all 20 nails with involvement of all three mucocutaneous areas (skin, nails, and mucosa) at presentation was a unique feature in our patient. With the recently increasing pediatric use of hydroxyurea in a variety of disorders, its benign and not so uncommon cutaneous adverse effects are emphasized here.

A new type of minocycline-induced cutaneous hyperpigmentation

Pigmentary disorders are recognized adverse effects of the semi-synthetic tetracycline derivative antibiotic, minocycline. Three distinct types of minocycline-induced cutaneous pigmentation have been described. Type I, blue-black pigmentation confined to sites of scarring or inflammation on the face; Type II, blue-grey circumscribed pigmentation of normal skin of the lower legs and forearms; and Type III, diffuse muddy brown pigmentation of normal skin accentuated in sun-exposed areas. We report two patients with acne vulgaris with a fourth type of minocycline-induced cutaneous pigmentation. They presented with circumscribed blue-grey pigmentation within acne scars confined to the back. Histology showed pigment within dendritic cells, and extracellularly throughout the dermis. Histochemistry identified a calcium containing melanin-like substance. Iron was absent. Immunohistochemistry confirmed some pigment-containing cells to be macrophages. Electron microscopy demonstrated electron-dense granules, free and membrane-bound, within macrophages and fibroblast-like cells. Energy-dispersive X-ray analysis confirmed the presence of calcium. Iron was absent. This fourth type of cutaneous minocycline hyperpigmentation may be a variant of Type I, but based on clinical, pathological and microanalytical differences, appears to be a new entity. The pigment may be a drug metabolite-protein complex chelated with calcium, or an insoluble minocycline-melanin complex. We propose a classification of cutaneous minocycline pigmentation based on clinico-pathological criteria.

Green skin discoloration associated with multiple organ failure

OBJECTIVE

To report intense green hyperpigmentation related to FD & C Blue No. 1.

DESIGN

Retrospective case review.

SETTING

Surgical intensive care unit.

PATIENT

A 67-yr-old woman with unstable angina, electrocardiographic S-T segment elevation, and a left ventricle thrombus requiring emergent coronary revascularization surgery.

INTERVENTIONS

Postoperative monitoring and treatment for multiple organ dysfunction that included small-bowel tube feeding and propofol sedation.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

The patient developed an intense green skin color.

CONCLUSION

Patients with multiple organ failure may be at risk for unusual pigmentation effects from tube feeding dyes.

Drug-induced skin pigmentation. Epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment

Drug-induced pigmentation represents 10 to 20% of all cases of acquired hyperpigmentation and this hypothesis must be systematically raised in unexplained pigmented lesions especially in elderly people. The pathogenesis of drug-induced pigmentation is variable according to the causative medication and can involve an accumulation of melanin, sometimes following a nonspecific cutaneous inflammation and often worsened by sun exposure, an accumulation of the triggering drug itself, a synthesis of special pigments under the direct influence of the drug or deposits of iron following damage to the dermal vessels. The influence of sun exposure is usually obvious in most cases, either by sun-induced melanin synthesis stimulation with formation of complexes between melanin and the causative drug or by transformation of the drug in visible particles usually taken up by dermal macrophages under the influence of sunlight. The main drugs implicated in causing skin pigmentation are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antimalarials, amiodarone, cytotoxic drugs, tetracyclines, heavy metals and psychotropic drugs. Clinical features are very variable according to the triggering molecule, with a large range of patterns and shades which are sometimes more or less reminiscent of the culprit drug. Histological findings are very variable as well but the colored particles are often concentrated within dermal macrophages which are sometimes localized in a distinctive fashion with respect to dermal structures such as vessels or adnexes. Treatment is often limited to sun-avoidance or interruption of treatment with the offending drug but laser therapy recently gave rise to hope of a cure in some cases. These measures are often followed by a fading of the lesions but the pigmentation may last for a long time or may even become permanent in a small percentage of patients.

Mucocutaneous adverse effects of hydroxyurea: a prospective study of 30 psoriasis patients

Hydroxyurea is an anti-tumour agent most commonly used to treat chronic myeloproliferative disorders in doses up to 4 g per day. Dermatological adverse effects reported so far have been observed predominantly in these patients. As we are treating selected psoriasis patients with low dose hydroxyurea we attempted to define the spectrum and chronology of dermatological adverse effects in this group of patients prospectively. Of the 29 evaluable patients, 19 (65.5%) developed a mucocutaneous adverse reaction after a mean duration of 6.4 weeks of treatment. Pigmentation of nails, skin or mucosa was the most common observation and was seen in 17 (58.6%) patients. Other less common findings were xerosis, diffuse alopecia, oedema of the legs, oral ulcers and actinic psoriasis. Adverse effects subsided in 11 (57.9%) patients during a mean follow up of 18 weeks. Three hitherto unreported side-effects - scleral pigmentation, acquired ichthyosis and pigmentation of lunula of the nails - were noted. This first study of dermatological adverse effects of hydroxyurea therapy on Asian psoriatic patients reveals several new findings. Pigmentation of skin, nails and mucosa appears to be very common and occurs early. Serious dermatological side-effects probably do not occur with low dose (up to 1.5 g per day) hydroxyurea in patients with psoriasis.

Cutaneous Reactions to Chemotherapeutic Agents

The task of evaluating a cutaneous eruption in the patient receiving chemotherapy can be quite formidable. Most of the time, these patients are receiving a multitude of agents and have profound immunosuppression. These factors may alter the more common manifestations of cutaneous eruptions. This article presents some of the more common cutaneous eruptions that may occur in an oncology patient receiving chemotherapy. It is hoped we may recognize clinical patterns seen with chemotherapeutic agents in the immunosuppressed population and, by recognizing these cutaneous eruptions, we may avoid the pitfalls of discontinuing medicines that may certainly be needed or altering the treatment course in a patient.

Management of facial hyperpigmentation

Facial and neck pigmentations are the most cosmetically important. They are common in middle-aged women, and are related to endogenous (hormones) and exogenous factors (such as use of cosmetics and perfumes, and exposure to sun radiation). Melasma (chloasma) is the most common cause of facial pigmentation, but there are many other forms such as Riehl's melanosis, poikiloderma of Civatte, erythrose peribuccale pigmentaire of Brocq, erythromelanosis follicularis of the face and neck, linea fusca, and cosmetic hyperpigmentations. Treatment of melasma and other facial pigmentations has always been challenging and discouraging. It is important to avoid exposure to the sun or to ultraviolet lamps, and to use broad-spectrum sunscreens. Several hypopigmenting agents have been used with differing results. Topical hydroquinone 2 to 4% alone or in combination with tretinoin 0.05 to 0.1% is an established treatment. Topical azelaic acid 15 to 20% can be as efficacious as hydroquinone, but is less of an irritant. Tretinoin is especially useful in treating hyperpigmentation of photoaged skin. Kojic acid, alone or in combination with glycolic acid or hydroquinone, has shown good results, due to its inhibitory action on tyrosinase. Chemical peels are useful to treat melasma: trichloroacetic acid, Jessner's solution, Unna's paste, alpha-hydroxy acid preparations, kojic acid, and salicyclic acid, alone or in various combinations have shown good results. In contrast, laser therapies have not produced completely satisfactory results, because they can induce hyperpigmentation and recurrences can occur. New laser approaches could be successful at clearing facial hyperpigmentation in the future.

Mucocutaneous reactions to chemotherapy

Chemotherapeutic agents are a widely used treatment modality. Side effects range from common to unusual and may be confused with other cutaneous sequelae of oncologic treatment. The goal of this communication is to elaborate on previous descriptions of the cutaneous manifestations of chemotherapeutic treatment and to discuss more recent findings.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

At the conclusion of this learning activity, participants should be able to generate a differential diagnosis of possible etiologies for varying patterns of cutaneous involvement in patients receiving chemotherapy and identify the various cutaneous side effects of chemotherapeutic treatment. In addition, they should be able to distinguish life-threatening side effects that require immediate management from more benign manifestations of chemotherapeutic treatment.

Diffuse hyperpigmentation of the skin: a clinicopathologic approach to diagnosis

There are multiple causes of diffuse hyperpigmentation of the skin (DHP) and determination of the exact etiology can sometimes be difficult. A systematic classification based on both clinical and pathological findings that should aid the clinician who is confronted with this situation is presented in this article. The skin diseases that cause DHP are classified based on the pigment characteristics (melanin, non-melanin), pigment distribution (epidermal, epidermal-dermal, dermal) and density of melanocytes (normal, increased). The intent of this review is to provide a "histopathological tool" that increases diagnostic accuracy in the evaluation of a patient with DHP.

Oral manifestations in HIV-infected patients: diagnosis and management

Oral lesions have been observed since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic. The number of HIV-infected patients is still increasing, especially in the heterosexual population. Oral diseases in HIV-infected patients are often more difficult to diagnose because the clinical presentations may differ from the same diseases in HIV-negative patients. HIV-associated oral lesions have diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic impact. Approximately 10% of the HIV-infected population will have oral manifestations as a first sign of their disease. In HIV-infected men oral hairy leukoplakia and oral candidiasis are useful markers for disease progression. This article summarizes the oral manifestations and the management of oral health in persons with HIV infection.