Answers

Diabetes mellitus can lead to multiple peripheral nervous system complications. Peripheral neuropathies of many types can occur (ie, length-dependent sensorimotor and small fiber sensory peripheral neuropathies). Compressive mononeuropathies affect the median nerve at the wrist and the ulnar nerve at the elbow and cause peroneal neuropathy at the knee. Lumbosacral plexopathy is usually a painful, unilateral or asymmetric condition of the leg, typically affecting the upper lumbar myotomes. Cranial neuropathies can occur, especially an ischemic third nerve palsy (which spares the pupil). Diabetes mellitus does not lead to a myopathy, other than an exceedingly rare muscle infarction.