Bismuthia 2584326 114103267 2007-03-10T18:23:16Z Thiseye 317134 Limited spellcheck + minor fixes [[User:Mboverload/AWB|READ ME]], Typos fixed: occaisions → occasions, using [[Project:AWB|AWB]] '''Bismuthia''' is a rare dermatological condition that results from the prolonged use of [[bismuth]]. Much more rarely than with silver, bismuth may produce a generalized persistent skin discoloration resembling [[argyria]]. This is known as bismuthia. The conjunctivae and oral mucosa, as well as skin, are commonly afflicted by the condition. Pigment granules are evenly scattered through the dermis, producing a blue, or bluish gray skin color by the [[scattering phenomenon]]. It is extremenly rare, and as a consequence is poorly understood by modern medicine. Special stains and spectroscopic methods must be utilized for identification of skin pigments affected by bismuth. Usually, bismuth produces a black line, due to bismuth sulfide, along the gums, near the teeth, similar to a lead line. This is not likely to occur if the gum is edentulous or the gum and the teeth normal. It is more common when gingivitis and carious teeth are present. Bismuth excess may cause [[stomatitis]]. On even rarer occasions, bismuth has been reported to cause pigmentation of the [[vagina]] and [[cervix]]. == References == * The University of Massachusetts Online Article on Pigmentation Disease [http://www.jeghers.com/annts/ARGYRIA1976.html] * Beerman & Colburn - American Journal of Medical Science, Volume 231: 451, 1956 * Jeghers - New England Journal of Medicine 231: 122 & 181, 1944 [[Category:Bismuth]] {{dermatology-stub}}