Keratosis

Keratoses (from the Greek κέρας kéras , horn ') are pathological or at least abnormal changes in the stratum corneum , the top layer of the skin consisting of keratinized cells (cornification disorder). These disorders can be congenital or acquired. The normal keratinization of the skin is called orthokeratosis .

By far the most common are actinic keratosis caused by UV radiation , which is important as a precancerous condition , i.e. can degenerate into skin cancer, and seborrheic keratosis .

Keratoses can also arise from chemical effects on the skin or the entire organism. In the past, keratoses from long-term exposure to tar were common among street workers and chimney sweeps, which were also precancerous ( tar carcinoma ). Due to technical advances they are hardly of any importance in the world of work. The same applies to arsenic keratoses from the time, as many infections were still treated with arsenic instead of antibiotics .

literature

• Pschyrembel, Clinical Dictionary . de Gruyter, ISBN 978-3-11-018534-8
• Th. Nasemann, W. Sauerbrey: Textbook of skin diseases and venereal infections . Springer, 1977, pp. 221, 226, 335, 337

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Peter Reuter: Springer Lexicon Medicine. Springer, Berlin a. a. 2004, ISBN 3-540-20412-1 , p. 1119.

This article is about a health issue. It is not used for self-diagnosis and does not replace a diagnosis by a doctor. Please note the information on health issues !