Similar Skin Barrier Function in Persons with Type 1 Diabetes Compared with Healthy Controls

Anna Korsgaard Berg; Annemarie Cecilie Grauslund; Kirsten Nørgaard; Steffen Ullitz Thorsen; Claus Zachariae; Anne-Sofie Halling; Ivone Jakasa; Sanja Kezic; Jannet Svensson; Jacob P Thyssen

doi:10.1016/j.xjidi.2023.100200

Similar Skin Barrier Function in Persons with Type 1 Diabetes Compared with Healthy Controls

JID Innov. 2023 Mar 27;3(4):100200. doi: 10.1016/j.xjidi.2023.100200. eCollection 2023 Jul.

Authors

Anna Korsgaard Berg^{1

2}, Annemarie Cecilie Grauslund¹, Kirsten Nørgaard^{2

3}, Steffen Ullitz Thorsen^{1

4}, Claus Zachariae⁵, Anne-Sofie Halling⁶, Ivone Jakasa⁷, Sanja Kezic⁸, Jannet Svensson^{1

2

3}, Jacob P Thyssen⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pediatrics, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, Herlev, Denmark.
² Copenhagen University Hospital - Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, Herlev, Denmark.
³ Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
⁴ Department of Clinical Immunology, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
⁵ Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, Gentofte, Denmark.
⁶ Department of Dermatology and Venerology, Bispebjerg Hospital, Denmark.
⁷ Laboratory for Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.
⁸ Department of Occupational and Public Health, Amsterdam UMC, The Netherlands.

Abstract

Contact dermatitis because of use of diabetes devices is frequent in individuals with type 1 diabetes (TD1), especially in the pediatric age group, but the putative role of a constitutional impaired skin barrier in persons with TD1 is unclear. This study examined the skin barrier function by the measurement of natural moisturizing factor and free cytokines collected through skin tape strips, as well as biophysical markers and the skin microbiome, in persons with TD1 than to age- and sex-matched healthy controls. All measurements were done in nonlesional skin. We found that the skin barrier function was similar in children and adolescents with TD1 than to controls but found that the beta-diversity of skin microbiome at the buttock differed between the two groups. We conclude that individuals with TD1 have normal skin barrier function, and that the increased occurrence of contact dermatitis following pump and sensor use is explained by exogenous factors.