| Summary: | Photo-damage of the head and neck was assessed, by visual inspection, in 82 Northern European renal transplant recipients attending a dermatology clinic. Photo-damage was graded as absent, mild, moderate and severe and the presence or absence of skin telangiectasia, solar elastosis, erythema and pigmentation was assessed. The duration and type of immunosuppressant and calcium channel blocker medication was recorded. Ninety percent had photo-damaged skin with 41 (50%) having mild photo-damage, 20 (24%) moderate photo-damage and 13 (16%) severe photo-damage. Sixty-two (76%) had pigmentation, 43 (52%) telangiectasia, 65 (79%) papular changes and 51 (65%) erythema. Fifty-three patients (65%) had received a calcium channel blocker (49 nifedipine, four amlodipine). The grade of photo-damage was strongly associated with use of calcium channel blockers (P=0.001) as was the presence of telangiectasia (P=0.001) and solar elastosis (P=0.04). Photo-damage is frequent in this population of renal transplant patients. Telangiectasia in association with calcium channel blockers has been reported rarely but appears to be common in the transplant population.
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