Abstract
Two female patients with IDDM, exhibited edematous and sclerotic skin changes in the extremities. Autoantibodies including anti-nuclear antibody and anti-topoisomerase I antibody were not detected in the serum of these patients. The histologic findings of skin specimens showed pro-liferation of collagen fibers in the dermis. Immunohistochemical study of skin specimens was per-formed using a monoclonal antibody of proteoglycan (PG). This study showed that 6-B-6 (dermatan sulfate PG) and 2-B-1 (large PG) were expressed in papillary dermis, and that 2-B-1 was noted in the blood vessels. These findings of PG contributed to the pathogenesis of diabetic thick skin, which included PG as well as the accumulation of collagen fibers.
