Acute Quadriplegia in Diabetic Hyperosmotic Coma With Hypokalemia

Abstract

A 42-year-old man had quadriplegia with associated hyperosmotic diabetic coma, marked hypokalemia, and mild ketoacidosis. The exact etiology of the paralysis could not be determined but three possibilities were considered: (1) hypokalemia, (2) diabetic neuropathy, and (3) Guillain-Barré syndrome. This is the second reported case of hyperosmotic diabetic coma in an insulin-dependent diabetic patient.