A 42-year-old patient presented with acute allodynia and hyperalgesia in her distal limbs, most severe in the innervation area of the ulnar nerve. The patient developed critical illness myopathy/polyneuropathy after septic shock 5 months prior to her presentation. After exclusion of differential diagnosis, "late onset small fiber neuropathy" after critical illness was diagnosed. Recent studies showed small fiber lesions during critical illness and in follow-up exams, where additionally neuropathic pain were proved. Dysfunction of voltage-gated Sodium channels related to severe insulin resistance during critical illness might explain the pathophysiology, as seen in critical illness myopathy/polyneuropathy. Therefore we recommend cooling, pharmacotherapy with carbamazepin/oxcarbazepine, tricyclic antidepressive agents and peripheral nerve blocks to treat patients with "late onset small fiber neuropathy" after critical illness.
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.