Pseudoxanthoma elasticum with abnormal nailfold microcirculatory findings.

Abstract

Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is an inherited disorder of elastic tissue. Here we report a 34-year-old male patient who developed multiple symptomless yellowish papules over his neck for several months. He visited our dermatologic out-patient-clinic because his sister had similar skin lesions and mild visual impairment. The pathologic features of the skin biopsy showed fragmented calcified elastic fibers in the mid-to-lower dermis under the H&E, Verhoeff-van Gieson and Von Kossa stains. Under electron microscopy, calcified degenerated elastic fibers were noted. No other internal organ involvement was found except angioid streaks on the fundus. In addition, morphological changes of the nailfold capillaries, including increased tortuosity, dilated venous limbs of capillary loops, and decreased red-blood-cell velocity, were observed under the capillaroscopy. Though former reports have indicated that cardiovascular manifestations are caused by degeneration of elastic fibers of blood vessels, this study is the first to emphasize the microcirculatory disturbance of nailfold capillary, including morphology and blood-cell velocity, in PXE.