Introduction: Changes in the skin can occur as part of a diabetic, metabolic disorder or diabetic complications. Studies have shown that diabetes has an extremely strong negative impact on quality of life, especially diabetes with complications. Aim: Examine the impact of skin changes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus on quality of life. Methods: A prospective study analysed the quality of life in 200 respondents with type 2 diabetes mellitus which had diabetes-related skin changes. Subjects were divided into four groups according to the type of skin changes associated with diabetes mellitus. Group 1 consisted of patients which had skin changes with a greater or lesser association with diabetes mellitus, group 2 patients with infections, group 3 patients with cutaneous manifestations of diabetic complications and group 4 patients with allergic reactions to antidiabetic therapy. Quality of life assessment was performed using the Skindex-29 questionnaire, and the Nijsten categorization was used to assess the impact of skin changes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus on quality of life. Results: There were (51.95%) respondents in group 1, group 2 (24.02%), group 3 (22.22%) and group 4 (1.8%) respondents. In the scale of emotions in 84 respondents (43.0%) the impact on quality of life was serious, in the scale of symptoms in 96 (48%) was moderate, and in the scale of social and physical functioning 106 (55%) also had a moderate impact on quality of life, as well as in the total score of 94 respondents (47%). There was a statistically significant difference in the scale of social and physical functioning in the presence of skin changes in group 1 (x2 = 7.95; df = 3, p = 0.045) and group 3 (x2 = 12.48, df = 3; p = 0.006), and in the total score of Skindex-29 when it comes to changes in the skin of group 3 (x2 = 7.26, df = 3, p = 0.05). Conclusion: the quality of life in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus which have skin changes is significantly reduced.
Key words: type 2 diabetes mellitus, skin changes, quality of life, Skindex-29.
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