Scleredema in Chinese patients: a local retrospective study and general review

The records from 12 Chinese adult patients with scleredema, who had attended the Social Hygiene Service of the Hong Kong Department of Health between 22 January 1990 and 19 March 1996, were retrieved and analysed. The neck was the commonest site of involvement (75%), followed by the back (42%), and the shoulder (17%). The vast majority (83%) of scleredema cases were associated with diabetes mellitus; half of these were insulin-dependent. Most of the patients (92%) had hypertension for which medical treatment was needed. No cases of skin disease were preceded by acute infection, and none had any associated paraproteinaemia. The degree of skin involvement did not affect the daily activities of most of the patients. This study revealed differences between the disease in our locality and those described in the western literature.