Test Your Knowledge

People with diabetes are prone to several kinds of skin conditions resulting from high glucose (blood sugar) levels. Some skin conditions occur only or mainly in people with diabetes. They include:

• Stiff-hand syndrome (digital sclerosis). Tight, thick, waxy skin that develops on the back of the hands and on the toes or forehead. Finger joints become stiff and can no longer move the way they should. Rarely, knees, ankles or elbows also stiffen. This condition occurs in about one-third of people with type 1 diabetes. It usually disappears when glucose levels are brought under control.
  
  
• Disseminated granuloma annulare. Appears as sharply defined ring-shaped or arc-shaped raised areas on skin on parts of the body far from the trunk. They can be red, red-brown or skin-colored. A physician may prescribe medication to clear up this condition.
  
  
• Acanthosis nigricans. Tan or brown raised areas that appear on the sides of the neck, armpits, groin, hands, elbows and knees. This condition most often occurs in those who are obese. Weight loss is the best treatment, but some creams can improve the skin's appearance.

Conditions that are associated with diabetes, but which are also common in the general population, include:

• Allergic reactions. Can occur in response to medicines such as insulin or antidiabetic agents and appear as rashes, depressions or bumps at injection sites.
  
  
• Bacterial infections. Some common bacterial infections in people with diabetes include:
  
  
• Styes. Infections of the eyelid glands.
  
  
• Boils. Infections of the hair follicles.
  
  
• Carbuncles. Deep infections of the skin and the tissue underneath.
  
  
• Cellulitis. Bacterial infection of the skin and underlying tissues.
  
  
Infections can also occur in other areas, such as surrounding the fingernails or toenails. Infections can cause tissues to become inflamed, leaving the area hot, swollen, red and painful. Staphylococcus bacteria, also called staph, are among the organisms that most often cause infections.

• Fungal infections. Often caused by Candida albicans, a yeast-like fungus that causes itchy rashes of moist, red areas surrounded by tiny blisters and scales. These infections often occur in warm, moist folds of the skin such as under the breasts, around the nails, between fingers and toes, in the corners of the mouth, in the armpits and groin, and under the foreskin of uncircumcised men.
  
  
• Itching (pruritus). Frequently caused by a yeast infection, dry skin or impaired circulation. Problems with circulation may cause itching in the lower leg.