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Yellowish discolouration of palms: Think beyond jaundice!
*For correspondence: amansharma74@yahoo.com
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This article was originally published by Wolters Kluwer - Medknow and was migrated to Scientific Scholar after the change of Publisher.
A 30 yr old male† presented to department of Internal Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh, India, in November 2017, with yellowish discolouration of hands for two months (Figure A). The sclera was normal, and the rest of examination was unremarkable. Liver, renal and thyroid function tests were also normal. Carotenaemia was suspected and confirmed by elevated beta-carotene levels [364 mg/dl; normal (4-77 mg/dl)]. The patient had been consuming 200 ml of carrot juice every day. His skin colour (Figure B) and beta-carotene levels normalized two months after the oral intake was stopped.
- (A) Carotenaemia of both palms. (B) Normalized skin colour after two months.
Carotenaemia is a benign condition associated with the consumption of excessive fruits and vegetables (carrot, beetroot, squash, sweet potatoes and others) rich in beta-carotene. Abnormal yellowish-orange pigmentation of the palms, soles and nasolabial folds, along with lack of scleral discolouration, differentiates carotenaemia from jaundice. Rarely, carotenaemia is associated with diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, hyperlipidaemia or renal failure.
Conflicts of Interest: None.
