Doctors at Hong Kong’s Prince of Wales Hospital were at a loss after examining an 84-year-old man admitted with complications related to an enlarged prostate. However, medical professionals were not baffled by his prostate problems and were surprised by the patient’s unnatural silvery skin, nails, and even the whites of his eyes.
A subsequent skin biopsy found gray granules in the man’s blood vessels, sweat gland membranes, hair follicles and skin fibers. Further blood tests confirmed hospital staff’s suspicions that the silver level was 423 nmol/L, more than 40 times the normal amount. The 80-year-old man was suffering from a rare case of systemic argentitis, a permanent condition often caused by a buildup of silver in the body.
as ars technica When I explain, New England Medical JournalAccording to a recent case report, argyria occurs after a person ingests large amounts of silver over a long period of time, during which fine metal particles migrate into the bloodstream in the form of ions. Eventually, the silver ends up in your muscles, organs, skin, and possibly tissues. Even the brain.
Ingesting silver is not noticeable by itself. However, when exposed to ultraviolet light (which happens every day thanks to the sun), the metal ions turn into atomic silver and begin to oxidize to silver selenide and silver sulfide. This is what gives Argyria patients their distinct blue-gray color. Silver tends to stimulate melanin production, so their skin can become even darker.
alternative medicine practitioners (and at least one cult) has long promoted the ingestion of silver in capsule form or suspended in a liquid known as “colloidal silver.” Doctors sometimes prescribed antibiotics before they were introduced. However, in today’s situation, no reliable evidence Supports silver intake to treat all health conditions. Rather, ingesting too much silver can cause poisoning and irreversible damage to the liver, kidneys, and bone marrow. In some cases, you may even lose your life.
However, in the case of a Hong Kong man in his 80s, the cause of argyria remains a mystery. He reportedly only took finasteride prescribed by his doctor for his prostate and did not admit to regularly or intentionally ingesting silver. And since he’s spent his career waiting tables, work-related exposure also seemed unlikely. No one else in his apartment building had similar symptoms. Eventually, doctors referred him for additional toxicology tests and discharged the mysterious silver man from the facility.
But whether or not someone gets to the bottom of their illness, I hope it at least serves as a valuable reminder to never take silver home remedies.
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