Cutaneous Manifestations of Diabetes Mellitus: A Case Series

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a common disorder with a broad spectrum of cutaneous manifestations. Our purpose was to evaluate the prevalence and main clinical presentation of skin disorders in patients with DM. For a period of 6 months, all of the patients with DM attending the outpatient dermatology and diabetes clinics of the Hamedan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, were clinically examined for cutaneous manifestations of DM. Patients also were evaluated for glycemic control and evidence of other diabetes-related complications. Diabetic skin manifestations were detected in 110 of 155 (71%) patients with DM. The most common skin lesions in both patients with type 1 and type 2 DM were infectious in origin (72%). No statistically significant differences in cutaneous manifestations were observed between the 2 types of DM. In the outpatient population with DM there is a high prevalence of skin lesions mainly represented by cutaneous infections.