Skin, A Mirror Reflecting Diabetes Mellitus: A Longitudinal Study In A Tertiary Care Hospital In Gujarat

In a longitudinal observational study of 300 patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) at a tertiary care hospital in Gujarat, India, researchers found that 21.67% of the patients had mucocutaneous manifestations as the presenting feature of DM. The most common skin complaint was infections, occurring in 39.66% of patients, followed by acanthosis nigricans in 15.33%. More than half of the patients (53.3%) had complications such as hypertension, retinopathy, hyperlipidemia, coronary artery disease, neuropathy, nephropathy, and diabetic ketoacidosis. Specific skin conditions like Kyrle's disease, diabetic ulcers, scleredema diabeticorum, diabetic dermopathy, and skin tags were observed, with skin tags being potential markers for diabetes and cardiovascular risk. Achard-Thiers syndrome was identified in one case, and psoriasis and eczema/dermatitis were also significantly present, with psoriasis linked to increased cardiovascular risk and metabolic syndrome. The study highlighted that good glycemic control could reduce the incidence and severity of cutaneous disorders and underscored the important role of dermatologists in the early detection and management of DM and its complications. Only 1.66% of patients experienced complications with anti-diabetic treatment, and no cases of eruptive xanthoma, necrobiosis lipodicans, waxy skin, or stiff joint were reported.