Study on the histopathology of chronic arsenicosis
Keywords:
Arsenicosis, histopathologyAbstract
Background Arsenicosis is epidemic in Bangladesh. The associated cutaneous changes havehigh malignant potential.Objectives To assess the spectrum of histopathological changes in arsenical keratoses.Patients and methods A total of 70 arsenicosis patients (arsenic exposure group) and 20clinically healthy patients (control group) who showed typical features of cutaneousmanifestations were selected in this study. Skin biopsies from randomly selected patientswere taken for undertaking histopathological studies.Results In the arsenicosis group and control group different istoloicl cnes were hypekeratois(100% vs. 20%) [p<0.001], parakeratosis (97% vs. 10%) [p<0.001], acanthosis (95.7% vs.1%) [p<0.001], papillomatosis (74% vs. 0%) [p<0.001], basal pigmentation (42% vs. 4%) ,and dysplsia and malinant canes (5% vs. 0%), respectively. were seen in, 97%, 95.7%, 74%,42% and 5% of cases, respectively.Conclusion In Bangladesh, long term arsenic exposure could increase the risk of certainkinds of cancers, some of them still unknown. It is therefore stressed that basic researches inhistopathology of arsenic keratosis is patients particularly important in making the diagnosis .References
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