| Abstrak/Abstract |
Background: Diabetes mellitus is a global epidemic condition and its complications can occur from undiagnosed or uncontrolled diabetes. Approximately 30% of patients experience skin involvement, like fungal and bacterial infections, namely angular cheilitis, which occurs more frequently in diabetics. Purpose: To analyze the role of glycated collagen as an angular cheilitis predisposing factor in diabetics. Review: The severity of hyperglycemia is the major pathogenetic factor leading to complications of diabetes. One biochemical mechanism which has been proposed is protein glycation, where glucose covalently attaches to proteins nonenzymatically with the end result called AGEs (advanced glycosylation end-products). AGEs-modified proteins lose their specific functions. Collagen is a prominent target of glycation. AGEs change collagen properties such as loss of flexibility to increase its rigidity. One of the oral manifestations of diabetes mellitus is angular cheilitis which presents a s fissuring and scaling of the mouth commisures. This condition is considered to relate to AGEs formation due to glycated collagen. Damaged collagen causes thinner and wrinkled skin, which leads saliva to pool in the corners of the mouth and skin of diabetics to form cracks and fissures, facilitating microorganisms to thrive. Conclusion: Glycated collagen can be responsible as a predisposing factor for angular cheilitis in diabetics. |
