Background: Long-term diabetes mellitus may disrupt skin homeostasis resulting in dermatological disorders. These manifestations may be predictors of diabetes and markers for the progression of the disease or the effectiveness of therapeutic management.
The aim of the work: This study was carried out to assess the prevalence of cutaneous disorders in diabetic patients and to determine the associations between cutaneous disorders and the patient's risk factors in the Damietta governorate.
Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 947 diabetic patients. All the study participants were subjected to a questionnaire for socio-demographic characteristics, a detailed medical history, dermatological examination, and assessing body mass index [BMI] and glycated hemoglobin.
Results: Of the total of 947 diabetic patients examined for cutaneous manifestations, 595[62.8%] had one or more diabetes associated cutaneous disorders. Common cutaneous manifestations were cutaneous infections [27%], acrochordons [19.2%], pruritus [18.2%], xerosis [16.6%], acanthosis nigricans [16.2%], scleroderma-like skin changes [8.2%], and diabetic dermopathy [7.7%]. Longer duration of diabetes, poor controlled hemoglobin A1C and obesity were independent risk factors of Skin manifestations strongly associated with our studied diabetic patients.
Conclusion: As patients with diabetes have a high prevalence of cutaneous disorders, that can emerge prior to the diagnosis of diabetes and may reflect glycemic control, awareness of these manifestations will aid in the prompt and comprehensive care of both dermatoses and diabetes.