Clinical Description
Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is a systemic disorder that affects the elastic tissue of the skin, the eye, and the cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems. Individuals can present as early as age five years with papules in the skin and/or between ages ten and 30 years with angioid streaks of the retina found on routine eye examination or associated with retinal hemorrhage. Manifestations of other vascular involvement include gastrointestinal angina and/or bleeding, intermittent claudication of arm and leg muscles, stroke, and renovascular hypertension, especially at an unexpectedly young age.
Table 2.
Select Features of Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum (PXE)
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Feature | % of Persons with Feature | Comment |
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Skin lesions | 100% | In advanced stages, skin can become lax & redundant; sometimes reconstructive surgery is necessary. |
Retinal involvement | 100% | Subretinal neovascularization w/hemorrhage can cause significant visual impairment. |
Vascular (arterial arrowing) | 60% | Can cause claudication, small strokes, intestinal angina, renovascular hypertension, angina &/or myocardial infarction |
GI bleeding | 10% | Most commonly in the upper GI tract |
Skin. Skin lesions are generally the first sign and are present between the first and second decade of life, but are often not recognized as a sign of PXE. The primary skin lesion is a papule that is somewhat darker than the person's natural skin tone, i.e., yellowish on white skin, black on brown skin, usually seen on the lateral aspect of the neck or the flexural creases (e.g., the antecubital fossae, axillae, groin, or popliteal fossae). Occasionally, there is periumbilical involvement.
The papules gradually coalesce to form plaques, and eventually the skin, especially of the neck, axilla, and groin, becomes loose, lax, and redundant.
Mucous membranes can show similar yellowish lesions, most commonly the inner aspect of the lower lip and the vaginal mucosa.
Eye. The earliest ocular finding is a diffuse mottling of the fundus known as peau d'orange, generally appearing between adolescence and the late second decade.
In nearly every person with PXE, angioid streaks develop between the first and second decade.
Neither angioid streaks nor peau d'orange affects visual acuity; however, spontaneous subretinal neovascularization and hemorrhage can occur and lead to visual distortion (metamorphopsia) and decreased visual acuity, resulting in disciform scarring and, when the macula or fovea is involved, permanent loss of central vision. In some cases, atrophy similar to geographic atrophy in age-related macular degeneration develops and can be the cause of vision loss [Gliem et al 2016, Risseeuw et al 2019].
Gastrointestinal. The most common site of bleeding is the upper gastrointestinal tract, particularly the stomach. The cause of bleeding is not well understood; one theory is that it may begin with superficial bleeding from erosive gastritis, then becomes massive and uncontrolled due to defective vasoconstriction of affected arteries. Diffuse punctate bleeding and erosions can be seen on gastroscopy, but an exact source of the hemorrhage may be difficult to locate.
Vascular. Mineralization of the internal elastic lamina of medium-sized arteries, predominantly in peripheral arteries (arms, legs) and intracranial internal carotid arteries, resulting in arterial narrowing occurs frequently in PXE. Arterial narrowing can lead to asymmetric or diminished pulses in the limbs and, if severe enough, can cause intermittent claudication of the leg and arm muscles, small strokes (cerebrovascular arteries), intestinal angina (celiac or mesenteric arteries), and renovascular hypertension (renal arteries).
Although one small series suggested an increased incidence of mitral valve prolapse in individuals with PXE [Lebwohl et al 1982], this has never been replicated.