Sun, alcohol, and skin lesions

Abstract

A 65-year-old man presented to the emergency room with blistered not itching skin lesions on the dorsal surface of both hands, which developed recurrently after exposure to sun and solved spontaneously with scarring. The patient had a history of hypertension, diabetes mellitus type 2 and hypercholesterolemia. His medications included ramipril, metformin, simvastatin, and acetylsalicylic acid. He denied smoke, but he used to consume a large amount of alcohol (1 Lt of red wine daily). His body mass index was 29 (overweight). Blood exams revealed: altered glucose metabolism (fasting and post-prandial blood glucose, respectively 172 mg/dL and 267 mg/dL), macrocytosis (mean cell volume 100.6 fL), increased transaminases (AST 62 U/L and ALT 79 U/L, normal value 10-37) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT 255 U/L, normal value 7-40), and an iron assessment as follows: serum ferritin 2234 ng/mL, transferrin saturation 40%, serum iron 138 mcg/dL. Hepatitis C, hepatitis B, and HIV were excluded. Autoimmune screening was negative. Point of care ultrasound documented a grade 3 liver steatosis.

Keywords

• Skin lesions
• porphyria cutanea tarda
• hyperferritinemia