XANTHOMA DISSEMINATUM

Abstract

XANTHOMA disseminatum is an entity that is infrequently encountered. It represents a systemic disorder involving the reticuloendothelial system, particularly the reticulum cells and the histiocytes. It differs in the main from xanthoma tuberosum in that the blood serum cholesterol is normal or low¹ and the lesions are more commonly found on the flexural surfaces of the skin. In addition to skin involvement, many other organs and tissues have been found with xanthomatous changes. Lesions have been demonstrated on the mucosal surface of the mouth, epiglottis, and larynx, on the cornea and sclera,² in the pleura, lungs, pituitary gland, and the tuber cinereum,³ in bones, spinal cord, lymph glands, and spleen,⁴ in the brain,⁵ in the liver,⁶ and on the serous surfaces of the pericardium and peritoneum, the walls of the esophagus, stomach, and intestinal mucosa, as well as in glands (thymus, pancreas, and