Diabetic scleredema

Abstract

Many skin lesions are specific for diabetes mellitus. Necrobiosis lipoidica, lipoatrophy and idiopathic bullae (bullosis diabeticorum) are usually associated with diabetes. However, diabetic scleredema has not been noticed by internists, although dermatologists have paid attention to such a cutaneous manifestation. We reported a clinical case of a female diabetic patient aged 15 who had been afflicted with diabetic scleredema. She had been treated with insulin since 5 years of age. She noticed stiffness of the skin in April 1980. Skin biopsy showed thickness of the dermis and accumulation of acid mucopolysaccharide. After control of blood glucose with continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) and administration of tocopherol acetate and hyaluronidase, the skin lesion improved. Etiology of diabetic scleredema is unknown. Such skin lesion which is observed frequently in insulin dependent obese patients is different from a category of scleredema of Buschke.