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Scleredema diabeticorum is characterized by a dramatic increase in the thickness of the skin of the
posterior neck and upper back. Of the 17 scleredema patients diagnosed by us in the last 15 yr, 16
have had type II diabetes mellitus. In a prospective study of 484 diabetic outpatients we found the
prevalence of scleredema to be 2.5%. Angina pectoris was the only complication that occurred significantly more frequently in scleredematous diabetic patients than in a control group of diabetic patients
without scleredema. Scleredema diabeticorum is a distinct cutaneous condition peculiar to diabetic
individuals and ought not to be confused with scleredema of Buschke or scleroderma. DIABETES CARE 6:
189-192, MARCH-APRIL 1983.
domly selected diabetic patients from the same clinic population with reference to important prognostic factors in diabetes mellitus. These factors included retinopathy (defined
as the presence of retinal hemorrhages, exudates, or vascular
proliferation); peripheral vascular disease (defined as a history
of ischemic ulceration, gangrene, peripheral arterial bypass
grafts, or a significant decrease in pulse pressure); nephropathy (defined by the presence of proteinuria greater than
145/95); and neuropathy (defined as a deficit in autonomic,
sensory, or motor function referable to diabetes). Statistical
analysis of the prevalence of diabetic complications was performed according to the method of Swinscow using an adaption of the Student t test.4
RESULTS
189
() Scleredema
(N = 100)
Complication
(%)
(%)
Retinopathy
Cataracts
Peripheral vascular disease
Cerebrovascular accidents
Angina pectoris
Myocardial infarction
Nephropathy
Neuropathy
Hypertension
25
17
8
8
67
17
0
42
67
35
*P<0.05.
20
21
10
28*
21
12
38
49
191
192
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4
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5
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Danowski, T. S., Sabeh, G., Sarver, M. E., Shelkrot, J., and
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