Neonatal Diabetes – A Case Report

Abstract

Neonatal diabetes mellitus (NDM), defined as persistent hyperglycaemia occurring in the first six months of life, is a rare cause of hyperglycaemia. We report a case of a four-month-old girl child with diabetes presented in Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) with severe dehydration, respiratory distress and encephalopathy. The child gradually improved with insulin and fluid therapy. There have been various studies showing the incidence of neonatal diabetes to be around 0.5%. This rare incidence of the disease makes it important to consider neonatal diabetes as an important differential in case of any child presenting with severe dehydration, acidosis and encephalopathy, especially in age group less than 6 months, where the chances of getting it missed are high.