Scleredema Diabeticorum: A Common and Distinct Cutaneous Manifestation of Diabetes Mellitus

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.