Blistering Eruption in a Diabetic

Abstract

<h3>REPORT OF A CASE</h3> A 65-year-old man presented with a 2-month history of blisters on his legs. The blisters had developed spontaneously and were asymptomatic. They ruptured spontaneously and healed slowly. A course of oral cephalexin, prescribed by his internist, had no effect on the appearance or healing of his lesions. His medical history was pertinent for long-standing type II diabetes mellitus treated with insulin. Major diabetic complications, such as retinopathy, nephropathy, or neuropathy, had not developed. Results from the physical examination showed scattered tense bullae on the lower extremities bilaterally, which ranged from 1.0 to 3.0 cm (Figs 1 and 2). Also revealed were discrete, round ulcerations of a similar size. These were present on the lower extremities bilaterally at the sites of previous bullae. No similar lesions were present elsewhere. Laboratory tests disclosed the following values: white blood cell count, 4.9 × 10⁹/L (normal, 4.8 to