Skin manifestations associated with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus: HLA pattern

ABSTRACT

Forty insulin dependent diabetic patients with skin manifestations were among the diabetic patients attending the Diabetic Out-Patient Clinic, Assiut University Hospitals in 1991. These skin manifestations included allergic skin changes [70%]; fungal, candidal and pyogenic infections [50%]; vascular [45%]; neurologic [30%] and metabolic [17.5%] skin changes. Diabetic patients with skin manifestations showed an increased frequency of HLA-A10, B37, CW2 and DR2 compared to normal controls. There was no significant differences in the HLA pattern between diabetic patients with or without skin manifestations except for DR4 which was absent in the former group and was present in [82%] in the latter group and thus could be considered as a protective antigen against the occurrence of skin manifestation. The group of diabetic patients with infections showed an increased frequency of HLA-DR2 [R.R. 6.7], while patients with vascular skin changes showed a decreased frequency of Al [R.R. 0.29]. Patients with neurological skin changes showed an increased frequency of HLA-Al and CW4 [R.R. 5.4 and 4.6 respectively]. These results are discussed and prospects of further studies are referred to