Disseminated intravascular coagulation in diabetic ketoacidosis

Endogenous Endophthalmitis and Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation Complicating a Klebsiella pneumoniae Perirenal Abscess in a Patient with Type 2 Diabetes

We describe a 56-year-old woman with type 2 diabetes complicated by a Klebsiella pneumoniae perirenal abscess. The patient further developed incipient diabetic ketoacidosis, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and endogenous endophthalmitis. Occurrence of the latter as a metastatic infection from perirenal abscess caused by this organism is very rare, and we know of no previously reported patient with the additional occurrence of disseminated intravascular coagulation. Since prompt intravitreal antibiotic administration is needed, physicians should be aware of these rare but severe complications of K pneumoniae infection, especially in patients with poorly controlled diabetes.

A case of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus with vertebral osteomyelitits: usefulness of imaging diagnosis

A 63-year-old woman with NIDDM poorly controlled by insulin therapy was admitted to our hospital because of fever and severe lumbago. Laboratory data revealed diabetic ketosis and a hypercoagulable state with infection. Bone and gallium scintigrams revealed an abnormal accumulation of the isotopes at L4-L5, where magnetic resonance imaging showed inflammatory changes. The patient was then diagnosed as having pyogenic vertebral osteomyelitis. Antibiotic chemotherapy and the administration of gebexate mesilate improved the inflammation and hypercoagulable state. When diabetic patients suffer from severe lumbago with sustained fever, and show segmental knock pain along the spine, pyogenic vertebral osteomyelitis should be considered. Bone and gallium scintigrams, and MRI are of clinical value for the early diagnosis of the disease.

Disseminated intravascular coagulation and severe peripheral neuropathy complicating ketoacidosis in a newly diagnosed diabetic child

Disseminated intravascular coagulation is a very rare complication of diabetic ketoacidosis. Central nervous system palsy but not peripheral neuropathy has been reported in these patients. On the other hand, signs of peripheral neuropathy may also be present at the onset of diabetes, but they are usually reversible within a few days after correction of the metabolic derangement. We describe an unusual case of mononeuritis multiplex syndrome still present after 2 months of follow-up in a child with diabetic ketoacidosis complicated by disseminated intravascular coagulation at the onset of insulin-dependent diabetes. These neurological impairments may be consistent with functional neural lesions due to vasa nervorum thrombosis and prolonged ischaemia.

Intravascular coagulation necrosis of the skin associated with cryofibrinogenemia, diabetes mellitus, and cardiolipin autoantibodies

Intravascular coagulation necrosis of the skin is rare and appears as hemorrhagic infiltrates that may develop ulcerating necrosis, mainly on the acral areas. The face, arms, and legs were severely involved in our patient. In this patient intravascular coagulation necrosis was associated with cryofibrinogenemia, diabetes mellitus, and IgM cardiolipin autoantibodies. In addition, rheumatoid factor, elevated polyclonal IgA, and haptoglobin were present as risk factors for the vasculopathy. Skin biopsy specimens showed plugging of dermal venules by thrombi formed of fibrin and erythrocytes. Immunohistologic staining revealed a strong positive reaction for fibrinogen, with some positivity for C3, C4, IgG, IgA, and IgM. Erythrocyte extravasation occurred in late lesions without being accompanied by perivascular leukocytic infiltrates. Detailed clinical examination failed to identify an underlying malignancy. Treatment with heparin and prednisolone produced only a brief remission. However, the combination of chlorambucil (7 mg/day orally) with low-dose oral prednisolone (10 mg/day) for several weeks controlled the disease and greatly reduced the cryofibrinogen. No relapse occurred after discontinuation of treatment.

West Indian diabetic population of a large inner city diabetic clinic

West Indians form a sizable minority of diabetics attending many inner city diabetic clinics. There are 554 diabetics of West Indian origin on our computer files--7% of the total recorded clinic population. Of these 554 patients (56% female, 44% male), 70% have been diagnosed within the past five years; and only 9% have had diabetes for over 10 years; in only five (1%) was diabetes diagnosed before the age of 20. Sixteen per cent were taking insulin, but only 4% of the total West Indian population were truly insulin dependent. Of 65 patients admitted in hyperglycaemic coma or precoma over the past three years, 10 were of West Indian origin; eight of these 10 had hyperosmolar coma compared with only six of the remaining 55. We conclude that diabetics of West Indian origin attending our clinic show differences in the distribution of age and duration of diabetes from the caucasian population. Most are non-insulin dependent, and the frequency of hyperosmolar coma is higher than that of ketoacidosis. Diabetics of West Indian origin may have a different pattern of disease from the rest of the clinic population.