Author: Katherine Parker

Chief Editor: Dr Daniel Keith

Pretibial myxoedema is a rare autoimmune dermopathy usually associated with thyroid disease such as Graves’ disease and less commonly Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. It is also known as localised myxoedema, thyroid dermopathy or infiltrative dermopathy. It is characterised by thickened waxy skin overlying diffuse swelling and lumpiness of the pretibial region of the lower legs as seen in the macroscopic images below. The changes that can be observed are due to deposition of mucin (glycosaminoglycans) in the skin but the pathological process underlying this is not well understood.