RESUMO
To study the prevalence of cutaneous disorders in patients with diabetes mellitus. All diabetic patients attending the Department of Dermatology, Al-Farwaniya Hospital, Kuwait, and diabetic in-patients with skin disorders were examined over a period of 18 months from March 2004 to August 2005. A total of 106 diabetic patients displaying 1 or more dermatological manifestations were identified and thoroughly examined for any skin disorder. The diabetic profile of the patients was obtained from medical records. Of the 106 patients, 69 had only 1 cutaneous manifestation, 27 had 2, 6 had 3 and 4 had 4. Infections [68.0%] were the major cutaneous manifestations with fungal infection occurring in 41 patients followed by bacteria in 27. The second most common presenting symptom was pruritus. Hypertension [74%] was the most common systemic complication, and most of the diabetic patients who developed cutaneous manifestations were in the 40- to 60-year age group. The data show that infections were the most common cutaneous manifestation and hypertension the most common systemic complication