Subepidermal Capillary Basement Membrane Thickness of the Skin Obtained by Punch Biopsy in Patients with Non Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Thickening and proliferation of the capillary basement membrane is a generalized phenomenon in diabetes mellitus and has been described in many organs including the heart, kidney, pancreas, retina etc.While such changes are specific, it is difficult to obtain specimens from those organs.Tissue samples were obtained from the medial surface of the thigh of 33 diabetics and 4 healthy controls by means of punch biopsy.Measurements carried out by normogram obtained from electron microscopic pictures.HbA1c values were also determined at time of muscle biopsy. The HbA1c values are higher in diabetics than in the control group (p<0.01).The subepidermal capillary basement membrane thickness of the diabetics: 30% of the 5’th decade population, 53.9% of the 6’th decade population and 83.3% of the 7’th decade population was greater than 3,000 A°. Whereas that of the controls was less than 3,000 A°.The subepidermal capillary basement membrane thickness was not significantly increased with the duration of the disease.In cases of greater subepidermal capillary besement membrane thickness, HbA1c showed a significant increase. (p<0.01).