Hong Kong doctors have faced a unique case. An 84-year-old man, who had problems with his urinary tract, surprised the doctors with the unusual silver-gray color of his skin, eyes, and nails.

Researchers have found out that the cause is a rare condition called argyria, which is caused by the accumulation of silver in the body tissues.

However, the source of this metal entering the man's body still remains a mystery.

The respective article was published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Argyria is a rare disease caused by the accumulation of silver in the body. It can cause a bluish appearance to the skin. Historically, argyria has been seen in workers closely associated with silver. It is sometimes caused by the use of silver-containing medicines that are advertised as health benefits despite the lack of scientific evidence of their effectiveness.

Despite its unusual appearance, argyria rarely poses a serious health risk. Silver can reduce the effectiveness of some antibiotics and medications. Unfortunately, it is impossible to get rid of the gray color of the skin because there are no methods to remove the accumulated silver from the body.

As it turned out, this color had appeared in the aforesaid 84-year-old man about five years ago, and his blood analysis revealed the reason: a high content of silver 40 times higher than normal. This metal had accumulated in the tissues of the body, forming small grains in the membranes of sweat glands, blood vessels, and skin fibers.

The patient did not take medicine with silver and did not encounter metal in his work; he was a waiter. Also, his neighbors had no such changes, ruling out an internal effect. The only drug he was taking was finasteride, a non-silver drug used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia.

This case remains an enigma for doctors, but they will continue to monitor the patient's condition.