Nailfold capillaroscopy in diabetes mellitus: a case of neo-angiogenesis after achieving normoglycemia

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a disease process characterized by a chronic hyperglycemic milieu that leads to micro and macrovascular complications, including diabetic retinopathy, diabetic nephropathy and diabetic neuropathy. During the last decade, researchers have used nail-fold capillaroscopy to study the microvascular alterations in rheumatologic diseases; however, the technology is gaining momentum in other disease processes that alter microvascular architecture. We observed a drastic improvement in the nail-fold capillary architecture in a patient with uncontrolled DM. After achieving excellent glycemic control 6 months after diagnosis, increased capillary density and evident rearrangement of the capillaries replaced the avascular areas and giant capillaries found at the time of diagnosis.