Med. Pro Praxi 2010; 7(6-7): 293-295

Proximal diabetic neuropathy

MUDr. Bořek Tuček,, MUDr. Radim Mazanec, Ph.D.

Neurologická klinika FN Motol, Praha

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is the most common aetiologic factor of neuropathy in the developed countries. Diabetic neuropathy (DN)

is among significant metabolic and microvascular complications of both type I and type II diabetes mellitus. Proximal diabetic amyotrophy

is a specific entity of diabetic neuropathy occurring more often in type I diabetes than type II diabetes and is not related to the

duration of DM. The incidence rate is low (0.3–1.1 %) but its course is typically dramatic with marked disability of the patient. This type

of neuropathy is reversible but improvement may be very slow and take months to occur. In a 63-year-old female patient, proximal diabetic

amyotrophy was the first sign of previously undiagnosed DM. The involvement progressed rapidly, resulting in loss of locomotor

ability within ten days, and the subsequent recovery lasted more than one year.

Keywords: diabetes mellitus, diabetic neuropathy, proximal diabetic amyotrophy, intravenous immunoglobulins

Published: September 1, 2010  Show citation