Skin side-effects of amiodarone therapy

Amiodarone is a antiarrhythmic drug with many side-effects which include also the induction of photosensitivity and the development of greyish-blue pigmentations on the skin exposed to light. The authors examined 64 patients treated with amiodarone and 32 controls by means of a phototest using a xenon lamp. In 9.4% photosensitivity was recorded, in 9.4% there were greyish-blue hyperpigmentations in the face and on the back of the hands. Histological identification of these hyperpigmentations including electron microscopy was also performed.