Two Frontlines, One Diagnosis: Family Medicine-Neurology Collaboration Enables Early Recognition and Treatment of Acute Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy in a Diabetic Patient

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an acute, immune-mediated polyradiculoneuropathy that often presents with rapidly progressive, symmetrical weakness and areflexia, typically following an infectious illness. Its recognition may be delayed in patients with underlying diabetic neuropathy due to overlapping sensory symptoms. We present the case of a 36-year-old woman with type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic distal neuropathic pain who developed acute bilateral lower-extremity paralysis after a self-limited viral illness. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) revealed albuminocytologic dissociation, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) excluded cord compression. The diagnosis of acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (AIDP) was established, and treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) led to clinical improvement. This case underscores the importance of collaboration between family medicine, emergency, and neurology in the early identification and management of GBS, even in the presence of comorbid neuropathies.