Insights into Diabetes Muscle Infarction: Clinical Characteristics and Outcome

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Musculoskeletal Imaging
• Diabetic Complications

Background:

• Diabetes muscle infarction (DMI) is an under-recognized complication of diabetes, often leading to delayed diagnosis and increased morbidity.
• Early identification is critical for effective management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review cases of DMI, focusing on pathogenesis, clinical presentation, and prognostic factors.
• To evaluate diagnostic methods and conservative management strategies.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 12 DMI patients over 15 years.
• Inclusion of clinical characteristics, laboratory results, imaging findings, therapies, and outcomes.

Main Results:

• DMI patients averaged 50 years old, predominantly male, with long-standing type 2 diabetes and microvascular complications.
• Common symptoms included unilateral lower limb swelling, pain, and tenderness, with the quadriceps most affected.
• MRI revealed characteristic findings of enlarged muscles with areas of myonecrosis; conservative management yielded good short-term prognosis.

Conclusions:

• DMI should be suspected in patients with painful lower limb masses without trauma history.
• MRI is diagnostic for DMI, obviating the need for biopsy.
• Conservative management is typical due to comorbidities, offering short-term benefits but long-term challenges.