Skin infections among type ii diabetic patients in Faisalabad region, Pakistan

Endocrine disorders occasionally manifest themselves by their associated or induced cutaneous abnormalities. Skin is a frequently overlooked source of pathology. Several cutaneous abnormalities are more prevalent in diabetes mellitus. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the frequency of skin infections among type 2 diabetic patients and associated risk factors in Faisalabad, Pakistan. Type 2 diabetic patients [disease duration >1 year] and healthy volunteers were recruited and skin infections were assessed. Diabetes related skin infections were detected in 43% of type 2 diabetic patients and in 22.5% of the control subjects. Onychomychosis, candida vaginitis and herpes simplex were identified in 9.2% of the diabetic patients compared to 2.5% of the control subjects. Skin infections had an insignificant association with sex, mean age, age at diabetes diagnosis, diabetes duration, secondary complications of diabetes, blood glucose and cumulative haemoglobin. A broad spectrum of cutaneous disorders was seen in type 2 patients. While the pathogenesis of the most of the skin lesions remains ambiguous, additional studies should be performed to determine whether skin lesions could be used for predicting imminent diabetic complications

Scabies; oral ivermectin as the treatment

All the conventional scabicidal drugs are used topically and have poor compliance. In several reports and studies, ivermectin, an oral antiparasitic drug, has been shown to be an effective scarbicide without any major side effect. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of oral ivermectin in the treatment of scabies. An open, randomized clinical trial [convenience sampling]. Dermatology Department, Divisional Headquarters [DHQ] and Allied Hospitals, Punjab Medical College, Faisalabad, Pakistan, from 1st September 2002 to 28th February 2003. The study comprised of 100 outdoor patients of scabies, 5-60 years of age, diagnosed on history, clinical examination and light microscopy. They and their affected family members were given a single oral dose of ivermectin 200 mg/kg body weight. Patients were followed up at intervals of 1, 2, 4 and 8 weeks. Fifty-seven patients [57%] had complete recovery at 2 weeks whereas 93 patients [93%] had complete recovery at 4 weeks. Seven [7%] failure cases were given a second dose all of which had complete recovery at 8 weeks. No patient developed any major adverse effect. Blood, urine examinations and liver function tests did not show any significant abnormality. Oral ivermectin, in a single dose of 200 mg/kg body weight, was effective and safe in the treatment of scabies and could be a useful substitute to conventional topical antiscabietics. However further large scale studies are required to further evaluate its safety