Cutaneous manifestations of idiopathic hemochromatosis. Study of 100 cases

Skin manifestations of idiopathic hemochromatosis (IH) are presented in 100 cases with emphasis on the previously unrecognized high frequency of ichthyosis-like states and koilonychia. In 50 cases with treated and nontreated groups, histological siderosis and clinical skin pigmentation were found to decrease postphlebotomy whereas melanosis, histologically, did not. By skin biopsy in 50 cases versus controls, the location of siderosis in eccrine sweat glands seems specific for IH providing a strong basis for a probable diagnosis of the disease. There are correlations between skin manifestations and other signs of the disease.