Digital sclerosis in children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Palpable thickening and induration of the skin of the fingers were found in 47 (34%) of 137 children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and in none of 52 normal children. Mild flexion contractures of the interphalangeal joints were seen in 26 (19%), mainly in those children with more extensive and severe skin changes. Such contractures have been linked to microvascular complications of diabetes. The clinical and pathogenic similarities to progressive systemic sclerosis make the digital sclerosis of childhood diabetes a promising model for further rheumatologic study.