Calcium may preferentially deposit in areas of elastic tissue damage.
BACKGROUND
Cutaneous calcification is an acquired disorder whereby insoluble, amorphous calcium salts deposit in the skin. Classically, cutaneous calcification is categorized as metastatic, dystrophic, idiopathic, or iatrogenic.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to further elucidate the underlying pathogenic mechanism for cutaneous calcification.


METHODS
Three cases of cutaneous calcification, including clinical characteristics and associated histopathology, were reviewed. Previous reports of cutaneous calcification were searched for in the published literature and included.


RESULTS
Calcium is distributed within areas of underlying tissue damage (ie, locus minoris resistentiae), and in our cases, occurred specifically at sites of chronic actinic damage and intravenous extravasation tissue injury.


CONCLUSIONS
A small number of clinical cases and previously published reports were reviewed.


CONCLUSIONS
We hypothesize that cutaneous calcification may preferentially occur at anatomic sites where tissue integrity has been compromised (ie, locus minoris resistentiae). We suggest one potential mechanism: that cutaneous calcification occurs within dermis that contains damaged elastic fibers. Pseudoxanthoma elasticum may serve as a possible genetic disease model for this process.
University of California, Irvine, CA, USA.
Rupa
R
Pugashetti
Kanade
K
Shinkai
Beth S
BS
Ruben
Marc E
ME
Grossman
Janet
J
Maldonado
Lindy P
LP
Fox
D000328:Adult; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000473:pathology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D004547:Elastic Tissue / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011561:Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum / Q000503:physiopathology; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000473:pathology*
D002118:Calcium