Association between skin tag and diabetes mellitus

Skin tags are small, benign, soft and pedunculated skin tumors. A possible association with impaired carbohydrate metabolism has been suggested in previous studies, but the results are not conclusive. This study was performed in order to determine association between skin tag and diabetes mellitus.

This study was carried out on 80 patients with skin tags as a case group and 80 patients without skin tags as a control group that they were referred to Semnan dermatological clinics. Then fasting blood sugar (FBS) were checked out in both two groups. In addition, height and weight were measured in all patients and body mass index (BMI) calculated for each of the patient.

43.8% and 55% of patients were respectively female in the case group and the control group. Age mean (± SD) was 44.3±16.6 and 37.3±18.9 years in the case and control group, respectively. BMI mean (±SD) index was 28.0±4.3kg/m2 in the patients with skin tag, whereas, it was 25.5±5.1 kg/m² in the patients without skin tag (P=0.001). Patients with skin tag had higher frequency of diabetes than patients in the control group (27.5% vs. 5%) and also the case group showed a higher frequency of pre diabetes than the control group (20% vs. 15%). The probability of presence of diabetes mellitus in the patients with skin tag was 6.82 times more than the patients in the control group (Odds ratio=6.82, 95% Confidence interval: 2.06-22.56, P=0.002).

Our data suggest that there is an association between skin tag and diabetes mellitus. Therefore, screening of patients with skin tag is recommended for early diagnosis diabetes mellitus.