Skin Manifestations in Diabetic Patients Attending a Diabetic Clinic in the Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of skin manifestations in diabetic patients attending a diabetic clinic in the Qassim region, Saudi Arabia. Subjects and Methods: A prospective observational study was performed on 320 patients (174 males and 146 females) attending the diabetic clinic. A detailed dermatological examination was carried out by a consultant dermatologist and the cutaneous findings were recorded. Results: The overall prevalence of skin manifestations was 91.2%. Cutaneous lesions were seen in 12 patients (34.3%) of type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) and 280 (98.2%) of type 2 diabetics. There was a statistically significant difference (p ! 0.001) in skin manifestations between type 1 and type 2 DM patients. For those patients having diabetes of less than 5 years’ duration, the incidence of skin manifestations was 80.6%; for those having had diabetes for more than 5 years, the incidence was 98%. This difference was statistically significant (p ! 0.001). The skin manifestations that had a statistically significant difference (p ! 0.05) in prevalence between the 2 durational groups were gangrene, diabetic dermopathy, paresthesia, diabetic feet, diabetic bullae and fungal infections. Conclusion: Diabetics had a greater Received: January 18, 2010 Accepted: June 1, 2010 Dr. Muhammad Shahzad, Assistant Prof. Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, Qassim University P.O. Box 30109 Buraidah 51477, Qassim (Saudi Arabia) Tel. +966 6 380 0050 ext. 2105, Fax +966 6 38