Diabetes Ketoacidosis Complicating as Wrist Drop: A Case Report on Acute Motor Neuropathy

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is an acute and major complication of diabetes mellitus. Neurological complications can be seen at any time during the course of illness and range from decreased consciousness to ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke. Acute neuropathy is very rare in this milieu. Here, we report a case of a 40-year-old patient, who developed a left-sided wrist drop after being treated for DKA. The nerve conduction velocity studies demonstrated decreased action potential amplitude in only the motor component of the left radial nerve. Other possible causes of the complaint were ruled out and the patient was managed with cock-up splint, vitamin B1 and B6 supplementation, and physiotherapy. Despite all these measures, the patient had minimal improvement. Thus, close monitoring of patients is crucial to identify these infirmities, even after the acute condition has resolved.