Background/Aims: Diabetic dermopathy is the most common cutaneous marker of diabetes mellitus presenting as single or multiple well-demarcated brown atrophic macules, predominantly on the shins. Although diabetic dermopathy and diabetic retinopathy are both considered by some authors as manifestations of diabetic microangiopathy, only a few studies are published about their possible association. Our purpose was to investigate the association of diabetic dermopathy and diabetic retinopathy. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in an outpatient diabetes clinic during a 6-month period. One-hundred and eighty-one consecutive patients (8 cases of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and 173 cases of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus) were examined for the presence of diabetic dermopathy and diabetic retinopathy. Results: Forty-seven (26%) showed diabetic dermopathy and 68 patients (37.6%) suffered from diabetic retinopathy. The frequency of retinopathy in patients with diabetic dermopathy (44%; 30 cases) was significantly greater than in patients without dermopathy (15%; 17 cases; p < 0.0001). Retinopathy showed a statistically significant association with dermopathy [odds ratio (OR): 3.60; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.53–8.44; p = 0.003] and diabetes duration (OR: 3.36; 95% CI: 1.67–6.77; p = 0.001). Conclusion: Our study further supports that diabetic dermopathy might be used as a telltale sign of diabetic retinopathy, necessitating more intensive ophthalmologic care, especially in long-lasting diabetes.

Keywords:
Diabetes, Diabetic dermopathy, Diabetic retinopathy
1.
Larijani B, Zahedi F: Epidemiology of diabetes in Iran. Iran J Diabetes Lipid Disord 2001;1:1–8.
2.
Powers AC: Diabetes mellitus; in Kasper DL, Braunwald E, Fauci AS, Hauser SL, Longo DL, Jameson JL (eds): Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine, ed 16. New York, McGraw-Hill Companies, 2005, pp 2152–2180.
3.
Hardy RA, Shetlar DJ: Retina; in Riordan-Eva P, Whitcher JP (eds): Vaughan & Asbury’s General Ophthalmology, ed 16. New York, McGraw-Hill Companies, 2004, pp 189–211.
4.
Wigington G, Ngo B, Rendell M: Skin blood flow in diabetic dermopathy. Arch Dermatol 2004;140:1248–1250.
5.
Weismann IK: Skin disorders in diabetes mellitus; in Burns T, Breathnach S, Cox N, Griffiths C (eds): Rook’s Textbook of Dermatology, ed 7. Oxford, Blackwell Science Ltd, 2004, vol 57, pp 106–109.
6.
Huntly AC: Coetaneous manifestations of diabetes mellitus; in Demis DJ (ed): Clinical Dermatology. Philadelphia, Lippincott-Raven,1996, pp 1–3.
7.
Bub JL, Olerud JE: Diabetes mellitus; in Freedberg IM, Arthur AZ, Wolff K, Austen KF, Goldsmith LA, Katz SL (eds): Fitzpatrick’s Dermatology in General Medicine, ed 6. New York, McGraw-Hill Companies, 2003, pp 1651–1661.
8.
Shemer A, Bergman R, Linn S, Kantor Y, Friedman-Birnbaum R: Diabetic dermopathy and internal complications in diabetes mellitus. Int J Dermatol 1998:37:113–115.
9.
Stawiski MA, Voorhees JJ: Cutaneous signs of diabetes mellitus. Cutis 1976;18:415–421.
10.
Borssen B, Bergenheim T, Lithner F: The epidemiology of foot lesions in diabetic patients aged 15–50 years. Diabet Med 1990;7:438–444.
11.
Diris N, Colomb M, Leymarie F, Durlach V, Caron J, Bernard P: Non-infectious skin conditions associated with diabetes mellitus: a prospective study of 308 cases. Ann Dermatol Venereol 2003;130:1009–1014.
12.
Vijayasingam SM, Thai AC, Chan HL: Non-infective skin associations of diabetes mellitus. Ann Acad Med Singapore 1988;17:526–535.
13.
Lee CH, Tey BH, Chew W: Epidemiology of diabetes mellitus in a regional hospital medical unit. Ann Acad Med Singapore 1993;22:864–869.
14.
Romano G, Moretti G, Di Benedetto A, Giofre C, Di Cesare E, Russo G, Califano L, Cucinotta D: Skin lesions in diabetes mellitus. Prevalence and clinical correlations. Diabetes Res Clin Pract 1998:39:101–106.
15.
Sasmaz S, Buyukbese MA, Cetinkaya A, Celik M, Arican O: The prevalence of skin disorders in type-2 diabetic patients. Internet J Dermatol2005, vol 3, No 1.
16.
Wang YR, Margolis D: The prevalence of diagnosed cutaneous manifestations during ambulatory diabetes visits in the United States, 1998–2002. Dermatology 2006;212:229–234.
17.
Tai TY, Tseng CH, Sung SM, Huang RF, Chen CZ, Tsai SH: Retinopathy, neuropathy and nephropathy in non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients. J Formos Med Assoc 1991;90:936–940.
© 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel
2007
Copyright / Drug Dosage / Disclaimer
Copyright: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be translated into other languages, reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, microcopying, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Drug Dosage: The authors and the publisher have exerted every effort to ensure that drug selection and dosage set forth in this text are in accord with current recommendations and practice at the time of publication. However, in view of ongoing research, changes in government regulations, and the constant flow of information relating to drug therapy and drug reactions, the reader is urged to check the package insert for each drug for any changes in indications and dosage and for added warnings and precautions. This is particularly important when the recommended agent is a new and/or infrequently employed drug.
Disclaimer: The statements, opinions and data contained in this publication are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of the publishers and the editor(s). The appearance of advertisements or/and product references in the publication is not a warranty, endorsement, or approval of the products or services advertised or of their effectiveness, quality or safety. The publisher and the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to persons or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content or advertisements.
You do not currently have access to this content.