Tn 1955, Cronkhite and Canada1 described an unusual syndrome of generalized gastrointestinal polyposis, pigmentation, alopecia, and onychotrophia. Since then, 45 other patients with similar features were reported on and these cases have been reviewed.2 We describe herein what is, to our knowledge, the youngest female patient with this syndrome and the first affecting a Malay.
Report of a Case
A 41-year-old Indonesian Malay woman was investigated in November 1976 for chronic diarrhea. During a two-month period she had frequent bowel movements, up to as many as 12 a day, passing loose brownish stools. On one occasion she noticed the passage of some "fleshy stuff" per rectum. She did not have abdominal pains or rectal bleeding. Closer questioning revealed that her appetite had been poor for the previous six months, with considerable weight loss. Her skin became noticeably darker, and hair loss was excessive. Two weeks before hospital admission, her