Abstract

CRIZON-DÍAZ, Diana Patricia  and  MORALES-CARDONA, Camilo Andrés. Diabetes mellitus and the skin. Iatreia [online]. 2020, vol.33, n.3, pp.239-250. ISSN 0121-0793.  https://doi.org/10.17533/udea.iatreia.58.

It is estimated that in Colombia there are 2,836,500 adults with diabetes, and that the disease has a prevalence of 8.4%. Exposure to elevated glucose levels affects the processes of cell proliferation and cell differentiation in all organs and tissues, as well as keratinocytes, fibroblasts, melanocytes and other cells present in the skin, alterations that occur in more than one third of diabetics and which may be the initial manifestation of the disease. The frequency and presentation of these dermatoses varies according to the population studied, with a pre-dominance of fungal and bacterial infections. Diabetic dermopathy, acanthosis nigricans, lax fibroids, pruritus and xerosis are also very frequent and are considered cutaneous markers of diabetes. This review focuses on the specific and non-specific dermatological manifestations of diabetes, as well as those related to its treatment. These manifestations can be a reflectionof the current or previous metabolic state of the diabetic patient and its timely identification allows guiding the primary diagnosis, to suspect a prediabetic state or to optimize the treatment of the disease in already diagnosed individuals.

Keywords : Dermatology; Diabetes Mellitus; Skin Manifestations.

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