Acquired Ichthyosis associated with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Introduction: Cutaneous lesions are frequent and very polymorphic in diabetic subjects. However, the combination of authentic acquired ichthyosis(AI) with diabetes mellitus (DM) remains exceptional and unusual.We report an original case of AI in type 2 DM.

Case Report: 55-years-old patient, known diabetic type 2 for 15 years, and treated with oral antidiabetic drugs, was hospitalized for recent significant weight loss (15 kg in two weeks) with appearance of diffuse and very annoyingskin lesions.
Physical examination and skin biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of AI. His diabetes was very unbalanced with HbA1C at 16%. The advanced investigations had eliminated an underlying autoimmune disease, infection, cancer, and hematological malignancies. After treatment with insulinanalogs in intensive protocol, the evolution was favorable with normalization of the glycemic parameters and progressive disappearance of the cutaneous lesions.

Conclusion: The association of AI with DM remains exceptional and only two cases are found in the literature. Our observation is, to our knowledge, the third reporting this association. The occurrence of AI in a type 2 diabetic may mark the need to introduce insulin.

Keywords: Acquired ichthyosis, type 2 diabetes, skin, diabetes mellitus.