Body piercing: A dangerous practice in type 1 diabetes? Case reports and a survey of practice in piercing establishments in Lothian

摘要

Body piercing is becoming increasingly common, but is not without complications. We present the cases of two patients with type 1 diabetes who required hospital admission following tongue piercing. These cases led us to survey the current practice of piercing establishments in the Lothian area. This revealed inconsistencies and a lack of information regarding the management of diabetes following piercing. As a result of this, an information leaflet was produced which is now available to all patients with diabetes who have a piercing performed. Copyright 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.