Argyria is a rare disease caused by the accumulation of silver in the body, which discolors the skin. Paul Karason was one of the faces of this disease.
A the light is a rare disease caused by exposure/ingestion to/of silver or compounds containing silver.
Although the human body contains amounts of silver from minor exposures, such as food and drinking water; in patients with argyria, these levels have accumulated in excess over a long period of time.
The main symptoms of argyria are skin developing a bluish-gray or gray hue, nails becoming darker than normal, and darker patches appearing on the skin in sun-exposed areas – a condition known as hyperpigmentation. Normally, these Color changes are permanent.
As , people who work with silver or use colloidal silver as a dietary supplement are at the highest risk of developing argyria.
Although some people use colloidal silver to treat conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes, US health authorities have warned that compound is not effective in treating any disease and that it can interfere with certain medications, such as antibiotics.
A 2018 medical literature review identified only 16 patients who developed argyria after exposure to a liquid silver suspension.
The disease was more common in 19th centurydue to heavy exposure to silver among people who worked with the metal. For this reason, statistics on the true incidence of arigira are limited. Furthermore, there is no cure.
Symptoms can vary depending on how much silver enters a person’s body, how it enters the body, and how long it accumulates – but it is easy to detect: people turn blue, like Smurfs.
Argyria can also cause other symptoms – such as abdominal pain, fatigue, headaches and kidney damage – but is only fatal if large amounts of silver have been ingested at one time.
