Natural course of insulin edema

Abstract

Generalized edema due to water retention is a very rare complication of insulin therapy. It affects mainly patients with newly diagnosed diabetes or patients with chronic hyperglycemia following initiation of insulin therapy. When it occurs, it is treated effectively with diuretics. This case report describes a female patient, who developed severe insulin edema following initiation of insulin. Diuretics were not given due to severe side effects, thus the natural outcome of insulin edema was observed. Edema was gradually replaced by fat tissue with persistent weight gain. Physicians treating diabetic patients should be aware of "insulin edema" in the differential diagnosis of weight gain in patients treated with insulin.

Diabetes mellitus – an overview

“…The most common adverse reactions to insulin are: ■ Weight gain [162,163]; ■ Hypoglycaemia [164]; ■ Insulin allergy and resistance [165]; ■ Insulin oedema [166,167]. …”

Generalised insulin oedema after intensification of treatment with insulin analogues

“…The patient was aggressively diuresed with Furosemide IV11 and discharged home the third day after admission with moderate lower extremity oedema.…”

A very rare complication of type 1 diabetes: insulin edema developed in a newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes

“…Bu makalede diyabet tedavisi sirasinda seyrek görülen bu duruma dikkat çekmek, hekimieri bu az bilinen komplikasyon hakkinda bilgilendirmek istedik. Olgularm çogu periferde görülen hafif ödem tablosuyia ortaya çiksa da, yaygin ve agir ödem geli §tigi bildirilmiç olan olgular bulunmaktadir (3)(4)(5)(6)(7). Nadiren ödemin periferde sinirli kalmayarak, sivi birlkminin seroza bo §luklarina uzandigi, asit, plevral efüzyon, hatta kalp yetersiziigine yol açtigi bildirilmlçtir (8,9).…”