The effect of blood glucose regulation on the presence of opportunistic Demodex folliculorum mites in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Objectives To measure the rate of Demodex folliculorum mite infestation in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and to investigate if it was related to blood glucose control. Methods Patients with type 2 diabetes were classified according to their glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) level into two groups: a well controlled blood glucose group (HbA1c ≤ 7%) and a poorly controlled blood glucose group (HbA1c > 7%). A standardized skin surface biopsy method was used to determine if the patients had D. folliculorum infestation (>5 mites/cm2 of skin). Results A total of 69 patients (38 female) were enrolled in the study. Seventeen (24.6%) patients had D. folliculorum infestation. There were no significant differences in age, sex or body mass index between patients with and without D. folliculorum infestations. A significantly higher proportion of patients with poor blood glucose control had D. folliculorum infestation compared with patients with well controlled blood glucose. Conclusions These current findings suggest that poor blood glucose regulation increases the susceptibility to D. folliculorum mite infestation in patients with type 2 diabetes.