Isopropyl Alcohol-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy After Transdermal Exposure: A Case Report.
Jack Shapiro, Thomas Cranmer, Emma Formaro et al.
✦ AI-curated · Sources linked
Case in brief
An 80-year-old man developed numbness in his left lower extremity after applying isopropyl alcohol topically several times daily for pain relief over 3 months. After other diagnoses were ruled out, the neuropathy was attributed to transdermal isopropyl alcohol exposure. He stopped using it, and the numbness completely resolved after 3 weeks.
What made this case unusual
The reported neuropathy followed repeated dermal exposure rather than the better-documented ingestion-related isopropyl alcohol toxicity.
Diagnostic / clinical pearl
When evaluating peripheral neuropathy, ask about repeated topical chemical exposures as well as ingestion and other toxic exposures.