Endocrine Abstracts

Aim: Diabetes mellitus affects many systems and one of them is skin. Skin findings among diabetic patients reported 30–71%. Skin findings may be due to direct metabolic effects of diabetes but complications and drugs may be cause as well. In this study our aim was to investigate the skin findings and prevalence among diabetic patients that admitted to endocrinology policlinic.

Method: 81 patients involved to study, skin examination of the patients were performed by an dermatologist and skin changes were recorded. Patient’s demographic data, blood glucose, HbA1c, lipid parameters, and complications were recorded as well. Patients that had previous dermatologic diseases were excluded.

Findings: 81 patients were evaluated in terms of skin findings, seven of them were type 1 DM (8.6%), 74 of them were type 2 DM (91.4%), 28 patients (34.6%) were males and 53 patients (65.4%) were females. Most common skin changes was acrochordon (n=49, 61%), and second common finding was diabetic thick skin (n=44, 54.9%). Other findings were as follow; pruritus and dryness in 42 patients (52.4%), periungual telangiectasias in 35 patients (43.9%), diabetic dermopathy in 28 patients (35.4%) and other findings in seven patients (9.5%).When we evaluate the association of skin changes and antidiyabetic drugs, diabetic dermopathy was seen 25% of metformin using type 2 DM patients but 47% of non-metformin using type 2 DM patients and this association is statistically significant (P<0.05). Acrochordon was seen 46% of insulin using type 2 DM patients, but 75% of non-insulin using type 2 DM patients and this finding is statistically significant (P<0.05).

Conclusion: Skin changes in diabetes frequently occur after diabetes diagnosis but sometimes this changes may be the initial finding. In type 1 DM most common findings are autoimmune skin changes whereas in type 2 DM infection associated skin findings are most common. In our study one of the important findings is lower diabetic dermopathy frequency among metformin using patients. Diabetic patients should be screened for diabetic skin changes with other chronic complications.