[Incidence of skin changes during active chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis. Comparison with normal controls]

The frequency of the principal skin changes held to be typical of chronic diseases of the liver has been evaluated together with the frequency of diseases of primarily dermatological interest in a group of 116 chronic liver patients (73 with cirrhosis, 43 with active chronic hepatitis) and in a group of 90 controls comparable by sex and age. The frequency of skin changes secondary to liver disease was statistically higher in the patients with respect to the control group. The incidence of primarily skin diseases associated with liver disease was, by contrast, extremely rare. The simultaneous presence of spiders, hepatic palms and white nails was observed in 21% of the chronic liver patients, while it was never encountered in the controls. Clinical observation of these changes (particularly the triad mentioned) is therefore highly indicative of chronic liver disease, even without a significant clinical history.