[Cutaneous stigmata of diabetes mellitus].

A number of relationships exist between diabetes mellitus and a series of cuteanous disorders. Skin lesions may reveal diabetes in a more or less specific way. They may also represent complications supervening in an already treated diabetic patient. Some of these dermatoses (acanthosis nigricans, purpuric and pigmented capillaritis) are markers of macrovascular complications. The same disorders and some others (xerosis, Dupuytren's disease) are more frequently associated with microangiopathy in Type II diabetes. Other skin diseases (alopecia areata, vitiligo) are markers of auto-immunity in Type I diabetes.