Figure 1

Figure1Questions

What molecule is responsible for this patient’s skin discoloration?

A 50-year-old male presents to the emergency department with severe headache, nausea, and a three-month history of diffuse gray-blue discoloration of the skin. Physical examination reveals a protuberant abdomen with a palpable liver edge 4 cm below the right costal margin, and gray-blue hyperpigmentation of the face and neck. Imaging demonstrates the findings seen here. What molecule is responsible for this patient’s skin discoloration? Image credit: @ndevito.