Arguria vs. Argyria: What’s the Difference?

• Argyria

  Argyria or argyrosis is a condition caused by excessive exposure to chemical compounds of the element silver, or to silver dust. The most dramatic symptom of argyria is that the skin turns purple or purple-grey. It may take the form of generalized argyria or local argyria. Generalized argyria affects large areas over much of the visible surface of the body. Local argyria shows in limited regions of the body, such as patches of skin, parts of the mucous membrane or the conjunctiva.

  The terms argyria and argyrosis have long been used interchangeably, with argyria being used more frequently. Argyrosis has been used particularly in referring to argyria of the conjunctiva, but the usage has never been consistent and cannot be relied on except where it has been explicitly specified. The term is from Ancient Greek: ἄργυρος argyros silver.

• Arguria (noun)

  silver poisoning

• Argyria (noun)

  A condition caused by excessive exposure to chemical compounds of the element silver, or to silver dust, the most dramatic symptom of which being that the skin turns purple or purple-grey.

  “argyrosis”

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