Systemic diseases often appear with alterations or skin lesions indicative of them, which was of great importance in the bygone eras of medicine when modern advanced diagnostic methods were not available.
In ancient times, the true disease was inferred from the color of the patient’s skin and eyes, the changes in his pulse, and the smell of his urine!
Although these skin appearances number in the dozens, but our dermatologist in Islamabad have selected for you the following list, which they consider the most common:
1- Hyperlipidemia
Skin appearance: palpebral xanthelasmata
They are yellowish deposits that appear especially around the eyes and in the eyelids, but they may be present in other areas of the body as granules or nodules spread on the two mechanisms, the trunk or the extremities.
It is worth noting that these skin lesions are not seen in all cases of hyperlipidemia and cholesterol, but in some of them.
2- Diabetes
Skin appearance: sore feet and heels
It is known that diabetes predisposes to the emergence of infections (infection) through germs or fungi, and these often form in the form of difficult-to-treat and recurring skin ulcers, especially in the feet, but also in other places of the body, especially when blood supply is not available to the skin area. enough.
The sores usually start in the form of a red, inflamed spot raised from the surface of the skin, and soon they lose their skin cover, forming an ulcer.
3- Liver inflammation or cirrhosis
Skin appearance: jaundice (jaundice)
The yellow color appears in liver lesions on the entire skin, and is detected in its early stages in the conjunctiva of the eyes, and it is caused by the inability of the liver to drain the pigment bilirubin that accumulates in the blood from dead red blood cells, either due to a functional failure in the liver (as occurs in inflammation Or cirrhosis), or for a blockage in the collecting hepatic duct (as a result, usually gallstones).
Skin manifestations of liver cirrhosis do not stop on the appearance of jaundice, but also include redness of the palms of the hands, and the appearance of spider capillary blood extensions around the navel.
4- Rheumatoid arthritis
Skin appearance: subcutaneous lumps
About a quarter of people with RA show fibrous lumps under the skin near the affected joint, and skin changes include thinning of the skin, rapid breakage of nails longitudinally, and redness of the palms.
5- Hypothyroidism
Skin appearance: myxedema
In severe hypothyroidism, the skin appears dry, cold to the touch, edematous (paste-like), and yellowish bulges appear around the eyes, and the disease is often consistent with hair loss.
6- Hyperthyroidism
Skin appearance: hyperhidrosis
The skin in cases of hyperthyroidism becomes warm to the touch, moist from sweating, with redness, especially in the area of the face and the palms of the hands, and you often see edema on the shins of both legs.
7- Anemia
Skin appearance: paleness
Red blood cells give the skin its normal color, but if it decreases for any reason, various degrees of paleness occur. This can happen either from an acute shortage of blood mass, as occurs in wounds and surgery, or internal bleeding (from the stomach, colon, etc.), or from a chronic shortage of red blood cells, as occurs in cases of iron or vitamin B12 deficiency, and cases of anemia. Congenital blood, renal insufficiency, and most types of cancer.
8- lupus erythematosis
Skin appearance: “butterfly rash”
Lupus erythematosus is a dangerous autoimmune disease that affects several systems in the body, including the joints, the kidneys, the lungs and the brain, and the disease may be difficult to diagnose, especially in its early stages, but about half of the cases show a special rash like a butterfly that affects the cheeks and the top of the nose before the appearance Other systemic symptoms and therefore aids in the diagnosis.
9- Drug or food allergy
Skin appearance: urticaria
Urticaria (the spread of fine grain or red spots on all the skin) sometimes occurs from the body’s sensitivity to one of the drugs, such as penicillin, sulfa, or aspirin, or from eating certain foods, such as shellfish, nuts or chocolate, and the skin effects usually disappear within 24 hours, but they may remain Even a few weeks.
10- Parkinson
Cutaneous pretension: seborrheic dermatitis
In many cases of Parkinson’s neurological disease (which appears as trembling of the hands and shaking of the head) Seborrheic dermatitis occurs in the scalp and on the face, and sometimes in the center of the chest.
11- Sarcoidosis
Skin appearance: lumpy redness of the skin
Sarcoidosis is a non-specific inflammatory disease that affects a number of the body’s organs, especially the lungs (it may be diagnosed radiologically with tuberculosis).
