Cutaneous Manifestations of Diabetes Mellitus: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Background: diabetes mellitus (DM) is the most common endocrine disorder. Mucocutaneous manifestations of DM are many and vary from trivial to life-threatening and often herald the onset of diabetes. Aims: To study the incidence of mucocutaneous manifestations in diabetes mellitus with respect to demographic data such as age, sex and duration of diabetes mellitus. Materials and methods: This is a cross-sectional observational study of 200 diabetic patients with cutaneous manifestations attending skin and diabetic clinic OPD. Detailed history, clinical examination and relevant investigations were done to diagnose the mucocutaneous disorders and complications of diabetes. Results: Demographic profile showed majority of cases belonging to 5th decade (33%) and 4th decade (27%) with male preponderance. Cutaneous infections were most common (62%) followed by dermatoses more commonly associated with diabetes (58%). Some patients had more than one cutaneous manifestation. Conclusion: Proper skin care and long-term control of blood glucose may reduce the risk of complications and is immensely beneficial to patients in long run