Penile and scrotal oedema along with urinary retention after insulin therapy

Abstract

Insulin oedema is a rare complication of insulin treatment characterised by an absence of heart, liver and renal involvement. Insulin oedema typically develops in the lower extremities or, less frequently, as generalised oedema after initiation of insulin therapy. We report a 59-year-old man with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes who developed oedema in his penis and scrotum accompanied by weight gain following intensive insulin therapy. His oedema improved after reduction of the daily insulin injection dose and treatment for urinary retention. Penile and scrotal oedema is a rare physical finding for the patient with diabetes. Therefore, in patients with poorly controlled diabetes who have started insulin therapy, physicians should pay attention to urinary retention and do not miss changes in weight gain or oedema in the lower body, including the perineal region.