Diabetic Sclerodactyly Mimicking Limited Sclerosis: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus can be associated with a variety of musculoskeletal conditions. These conditions mostly occur in longstanding and poorly controlled diabetes and are the result of progressive alterations in tissues. Timely recognition of these conditions is of paramount clinical importance as diabetes control helps in preventing progressive deformity and disability, pain control, and maintaining reasonable quality of life. In addition, some of these conditions can be addressed with available treatment modalities. We present a 43-year-old female with a longstanding history of type 1 diabetes mellitus admitted for diabetic ketoacidosis. She had a significant prior history of musculoskeletal conditions. Physical examination findings of her hands revealed thick and tight skin, sclerodactyly, and prayer sign. Appropriate workup to rule out systemic and limited sclerosis was performed and was negative.




J Endocrinol Metab. 2017;7(2):68-71
doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jem394e