Darier's sign
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Introduction
A brown macular or slighly papular lesion becomes a palpable wheal after being vigorously rubbed with the blunt end of an instrument or pen. Such rubbing causes degranulation of mast cells & release of histamine & other vasoactive substances. The wheal may take 5-10 minutes to appear. Darier's sign is positive in urticaria pigmentosa & mastocytoma (mastocytosis). In some patients, lesions may become bullous.
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References
- ↑ Color Atlas & Synopsis of Clinical Dermatology, Common & Serious Diseases, 3rd ed, Fitzpatrick et al, McGraw Hill, NY, 1997, pg 718, 962, 562