Severe oedema in a patient with diabetes

Abstract

A 38-year-old South Asian woman with a long-standing history of poorly controlled diabetes was admitted with severe oedema. Two weeks earlier, she had been treated with insulin for uncomplicated diabetic ketoacidosis. Renal, liver and cardiac causes of oedema were excluded, and it was assumed she may have developed 'insulin oedema'. She responded well to oral diuretics and symptoms resolved within a few weeks. Insulin oedema is an uncommon cause of oedema in patients recently commenced on insulin therapy.