Doctors baffled by skin disease linked to kidney problems
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Posted 10:20PM on Thursday, January 17, 2002
ATLANTA - Doctors are baffled by a strange condition showing up in people with kidney disease that causes their skin to thicken and tighten so much it restricts their movement. <br>
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The skin condition was first noticed in kidney transplant patients at a California hospital in 1997. Since then, 49 cases have been reported in the United States and Europe all in patients with kidney disease. <br>
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Some of the 49 patients have improved, but there is no known treatment. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, looking for answers, reported the mystery Thursday in its weekly bulletin for clinicians. <br>
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In some patients, the skin has tightened so much they are unable to drive, or need to use wheelchairs. <br>
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``Their skin feels like wood,'' said Dr. Michelle Goveia, a California-based CDC epidemiologist. ``You knock on it, and it sounds like you're knocking on wood. Their skin's so tight and taut and thick that they can't extend their extremities anymore.'' <br>
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The 49 patients all developed tight, toughened skin with small bumps on their chests, hands and feet, and in some cases their skin was discolored. <br>
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Doctors first thought the skin disease might be scleromyxedema, a potentially life-threatening illness that also causes lesions. But a protein test appears to rule that theory out. <br>
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Goveia said experts believe the problem might have to do with the way the kidneys process the body's blood. It could be that these patients' malfunctioning kidneys are creating a backlog doctors aren't sure of what that leads to the skin disorder. <br>
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Adding to the frustration for specialists is that there are so few cases, spread out over such a long time, that it's hard to find a pattern among for what might be triggering the problem. <br>
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``These patients have undergone so many exposures,'' Goveia said. ``It's difficult to pinpoint what the exact cause might be.''
