About two-thirds of young patients with type 1 diabetes may have skin disorders.

 

Skin manifestations generally appear subsequent to the development of diabetes but may be the first presenting sign or even precede the diagnosis by many years.

 

A study of the Military Medical Academy compared the presence and frequency of skin manifestations in 212 unselected patients with type 1 diabetes ranging in age from 2 to 22 years (diabetes duration 1 to 15 years) and 196 healthy matched control subjects.

Overall, 142 (67%) diabetic patients had at least one skin disorder versus 52 (26%) control subjects (p < 0.01). Skin lesions that were considered to be associated with diabetes were observed in 81 patients (38%).

 

Xerosis was found in 22% of patients with type 1 diabetes and 3% of controls. Rubeosis, diabetic hand, and necrobiosis lipoidica were found in 7.1%, 2.3%, and 2.3% of diabetics, respectively. None of the control subjects experienced these skin manifestations.

The study concludes that the frequency and range of skin lesions justify the early inclusion of a dermatologist in the management of type 1 diabetic patients.

 

Source: Diabetes Care 2007;30:1964-1967.