News|Articles|February 13, 2012

Spotting Signs of Diabetes

Spots on the shins may indicate diabetes.

During a physical examination, take a good look at the patient’s shins; they may help you detect diabetes mellitus. In some persons, diabetes causes hyperpigmented and retracted round, linear, or irregular spot on the shin. I’ve found them in about 50% of young adults with type 1 diabetes and in 35% of women and 70% of men with type II diabetes. Shin spots of similar appearance can occur in older men without diabetes, but any person with dark shin spots deserves a diabetes check.

Enhance your clinical practice with the Patient Care newsletter, offering the latest evidence-based guidelines, diagnostic insights, and treatment strategies for primary care physicians.

Spotting Signs of Diabetes

Related Content

FDA Approves First Inhaled Mealtime Insulin for Children and Adolescents With Diabetes

Finerenone Gets FDA Priority Review for Type 1 Diabetes With CKD

Claims Analysis Suggests High Annual Diabetes Screening Rates in US Prediabetes Care

Bariatric Surgery Linked to Lower 2-Year Costs Than GLP-1s in Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes

5 FDA Decisions for Primary Care to Know from April 2026

Latest CME

Community Oncology Connections™: Clarifying Novel Treatment Pathways in HER2+ Breast Cancer – North Carolina

Live Tumor Board: Translating Biomarker Insights and Therapeutic Advances Into Endometrial Cancer Practice

Community Oncology Connections™: Beyond Primary End Points – Digging Into Randomized and Real-World Data to Guide Challenging Treatment Decisions in HR+/HER2− Metastatic Breast Cancer | The Arizona Clinical Oncology Society

Revolutionizing Atopic Dermatitis (RAD) Conference 2026

Community Oncology Connections™: Beyond Primary End Points – Digging Into Randomized and Real-World Data to Guide Challenging Treatment Decisions in HR+/HER2− Metastatic Breast Cancer | Missouri Oncology Society

PER Podcast™: Maximizing the Multidisciplinary Care Outcomes of Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

Uniting Heart and Kidney Care: Optimizing Outcomes in Cardio-Kidney-Metabolic Disorders

Tennessee Oncology Practice Society

PER Podcast™: Best Strategies for Approaching the Diagnosis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

PER Postgame™: Updates from ANNA in the Management of IgA Nephropathy

Breaking the Demodex Blepharitis Cycle: The Importance of Early Intervention

(COPE Track) Small Mites, Big Impact: Revolutionizing Demodex Blepharitis Care

Neurotrophic Keratitis Insights: An Interactive Corneal Sensitivity Testing Workshop

Community Oncology Connections™: Beyond Primary End Points – Digging Into Randomized and Real-World Data to Guide Challenging Treatment Decisions in HR+/HER2− Metastatic Breast Cancer | Wisconsin Association of Hematology and Oncology

Community Oncology Connections™: Clarifying Novel Treatment Pathways in HER2+ Breast Cancer – Rhode Island

Southern California Psychiatry Conference

Show Me the Data™ New Frontiers in the Treatment of Ovarian Cancer

25th Annual International Congress on the Future of Breast Cancer® East

Retina Updates in Montréal

25th Annual International Congress on the Future of Breast Cancer® West

Indiana Oncology Society

Expert Perspectives on Applying Recent Evidence to Practice in the Management of Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma

Breast Cancer Tumor Board: Targeting TROP2 – Innovations in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Treatment

Burst CME: Managing Fluid Overload in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (Part 1)

Rapid Reviews in Retina™: Emerging Updates from Spring 2025—Addressing the Wealth of New Data in Treatments for Neovascular Retinal Disease

Interventional Dry Eye: A Stepwise Treatment & Management Approach

Navigating Safety Data with Janus Kinase (JAK) Inhibitors in Atopic Dermatitis (AD) Management

Community Practice Connections™: 16th Annual International Symposium on Ovarian Cancer and Other Gynecologic Malignancies™

Looking Beneath the Surface: Latest Updates in Identifying and Managing Hypercortisolism in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Expert Guidance on Frequently Asked Questions Regarding the Use of ADCs in TNBC

Establishing the Rationale for ADC and ICI Combinations in TNBC

Dissecting Clinical Trial and Real-World Data for ADCs in TNBC

Burst CME: Managing Fluid Overload in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (Part 2)

Optimizing Treatment for Biliary Tract Cancers

24th Annual International Congress on the Future of Breast Cancer® East

Cross-Disease Integration of Immunotherapy Innovations

Broadening the Frontline—Studies Informing the Use of Immunotherapy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Patient, Provider, and Caregiver Connection: Turning a New Leaf in Acute Pain Management – How Recent Advancements Impact the Treatment Paradigm

(CME Track) Rapid Reviews in Retina™: Emerging Updates from Summer 2025—Addressing the Wealth of New Data in Treatments for Neovascular Retinal Disease

PER Resource Center: Integrating Novel Approaches in TNBC – New Avenues for TROP2-Targeting ADCs and Beyond – Nursing

(CME Track) A Forward Look at Anti-VEGF Therapies: A Paradigm Shift in Neovascular Retinal Disease Management

Collaborating Across the Continuum™: The Pediatrician’s Vital Role in Multidisciplinary Management of Pediatric PAH

Patient, Provider, and Caregiver Connection™: Addressing Patient Challenges With Holistic Approaches to Vitiligo Management

(CME Track) The Evolution of MacTel Management: Integrating Neuroprotective Therapies Into Clinical Practice

Burst CME™: Optimizing Care for Patients with Psoriasis – Incorporating a Buy-and-Bill Model for Biologic Agents into Dermatological Practice

Expert Roundtable and Panel Discussions: Current and Future Landscape of TNBC

Cases and Conversations™: Biologic Matchmaking in Psoriasis – Finding the Right Therapy for the Right Patient

Practical Considerations and Future Directions for New Treatment Strategies in SCLC

Navigating Treatment Gaps in SCLC: Relapse, Resistance, and Need for New Options

Radioligand Therapy 101: The Science Behind the Strategy

Imaging Matters: Decoding PSMA PET for Better Decision-Making

BURST CME™ Resource Center: Integrating Novel PSMA-Directed Radioligand Approaches for Diagnosis and Management of Prostate Cancer

Ready for Radioligand Therapy? Patient Selection and Sequencing Simplified

Working Together: Overcoming Barriers to Optimize Outcomes in Patients Treated With Radioligand Therapy Through Multidisciplinary Care

Community Practice Connections™: Distinguishing Precision Pathways for c-Met and MET Alterations in NSCLC

Pathways to Progress: RAS in GI Cancers (Spotlight CE Session)

Tackling Barriers to Vaccine Uptake: Practical Strategies for Adult Immunization

Progress in Hyperlipidemia Management to Reduce ASCVD Risk: An Illustrated Update

Community Practice Connections™: Beyond the Basics— Revolutionizing Advanced Prostate Cancer Management With PSMA-Targeted Therapies

A New Era of Targeted Therapy for Advanced NSCLC: Exploring Future Directions for Bispecific Antibodies and ADCs

Burst CME CGM: Continuous Glucose Monitoring Considerations – Maximizing Quality of Life for Patients

Advances in Managing EGFR-Mutant NSCLC: Applying Evidence Across the Disease Continuum

Community Practice Connections™: Enhancing Melanoma Outcomes With Intratumoral Oncolytic Immunotherapy–Strategies for the Multidisciplinary Team

Cases and Conversations™: Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists in Patients With HF—Augmenting Current Guidelines with Emerging Evidence

Hidradenitis Suppurativa: Diving Deeper Into Disease Pathogenesis, Severity Assessment, and Holistic Management Approaches

Next Generation Therapies in AML: Menin Inhibitors, IDH1/2, Combinations, Maintenance, and Beyond! – Arizona

Community Oncology Connections™: Clarifying Novel Treatment Pathways in HER2+ Breast Cancer – Washington

Obesity: New and Emerging Strategies to Optimally Manage a Chronic Disease

Updates from Chicago: Oral SERDs in HR+/HER2- Metastatic Breast Cancer – What the Latest Data Really Tell Us

Community Oncology Connections™: Clarifying Novel Treatment Pathways in HER2+ Breast Cancer – Wyoming & Montana

Iowa Oncology Society

Optimizing NSCLC Readiness in the Era of TROP2-Targeted ADCs: Frontline Combinations, CNS Disease, and Toxicity Differentiation