A friend of the family has just been diagnosed with necrobiosis lipoidica diabeticorum.
What is this as I'm having trouble finding information?
The term necrobiosis lipoidica refers to a skin rash that most commonly affects the shins and is seen more often in women.
More than fifty per cent of sufferers are also found to have diabetes mellitus.
The rash of reddened raised patches occurs as a result of a degenerative condition affecting the infrastructure of the skin that lies beneath the surface.
The exact cause is not known and the condition goes through stages of activity and inactivity.
One is not able to predict when the condition will flare up in this way, but treatment can be given with cortisone, either through applying cream or by injection to the affected area.
Ultraviolet light has also been shown to be of use in the event of a flare up and the disease process may be influenced in a positive manner by having a small daily dose of aspirin (75mg).
Unfortunately the disease is typically chronic (long-lasting).
In most patients, the patches are multiple and bilateral. The red, shiny patches are symptom-free when they first appear and the patient's main complaint relates to their appearance.
Progress is variable from one patient to the next, with skin colour changing over months or years from red to yellow.
Small blood vessels develop on the surface and the areas may become extremely painful following trauma, ulceration and scarring.
Fortunately the pain subsides due to skin nerve damage in three-quarters of cases.
The trauma of ulceration associated with the condition has occasionally been associated with the development of skin cancer over long periods of time.
Today the term necrobiosis lipoidica is used to cover all patients with the same condition, regardless of whether diabetes is present or not.
The NetDoctor Medical Team
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