Skin tags as markers of diabetes mellitus: an epidemiological study in India

To ascertain whether skin tags (ST) are associated with a higher risk for diabetes mellitus (DM), 35 patients with ST were screened out of 5000 consecutive patients visiting our dermatology clinic. The study group ranged in age from 35 to 73 years, with a mean of 52.03. Twenty-six of the patients were men, and nine, women. The risk of getting ST was found to increase with age, but this risk decreased after the fifth decade. The neck was invariably involved, followed by the eyelids, axillae and groin. Of the cases, 62.8% (22 patients) had DM. Four new cases of DM were found among this group. All the diabetic patients in this study population had noninsulin dependent DM. The frequency of DM in ST patients was found to increase with age, however, it was statistically insignificant. No correlation was found between localisation, size, color, or number of ST and the presence of DM. The frequency with which ST had been found to co-exist with DM in this population is significant, and ST may serve as a marker for DM.