a novel complication of diabetic ketoacidosis

a novel complication of diabetic ketoacidosis

What is the most common cause of diabetic ketoacidosis?

Causes of DKA Very high blood sugar and low insulin levels lead to DKA. The two most common causes are: Illness. When you get sick, you may not be able to eat or drink as much as usual, which can make blood sugar levels hard to manage.

What are the long term effects of ketoacidosis?

On admission to hospital, these patients have a distinct clinical presentation: polyuria, polydipsia, nausea or vomiting, diffuse abdominal pain and hyperventilation. Left untreated, DKA can lead to cerebral oedema (more common in paediatric DKA patients), coma or death.

What happens during diabetic ketoacidosis?

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a life-threatening problem that affects people with diabetes. It occurs when the body starts breaking down fat at a rate that is much too fast. The liver processes the fat into a fuel called ketones, which causes the blood to become acidic.

What part of the body does ketoacidosis affect?

The fluids and insulin used to treat diabetic ketoacidosis can cause your potassium level to drop too low. A low potassium level can impair the activities of your heart, muscles and nerves.

How does diabetic ketoacidosis cause death?

Diabetic ketoacidosis is a severe, life-threatening complication, mostly affecting Type 1 diabetics. DKA can develop when your blood sugar is high and the insulin level is low. The imbalance in the body causes a build-up of ketones, which are toxic. If not treated, it can lead to a diabetic coma and death.

How is ketoacidosis diagnosis?

A diagnosis of diabetic ketoacidosis requires the patient’s plasma glucose concentration to be above 250 mg per dL (although it usually is much higher), the pH level to be less than 7.30, and the bicarbonate level to be 18 mEq per L or less.

What type of insulin is used for DKA?

Regular and glulisine insulin are equally effective during the acute treatment of DKA. A transition to subcutaneous glargine and glulisine after resolution of DKA resulted in similar glycemic control but in a lower rate of hypoglycemia than with NPH and regular insulin.

What happens if diabetic ketoacidosis goes untreated?

If left untreated, DKA can lead to a coma or death. If you use insulin, make sure you discuss the risk of DKA with your healthcare team and have a plan in place. If you have type 1 diabetes, you should have a supply of home urine ketone tests. You can buy these in drug stores or online.

What causes hypokalemia in DKA?

DKA is a well-known cause of hypokalemia caused by osmotic diuresis leading to a total body potassium deficiency of 3 to 6 mEq/kg. At presentation, potassium levels are typically “normal” due to the extracellular shift of potassium (K+) from insulin deficiency and acidosis.

Can diabetic ketoacidosis cause kidney damage?

Acute kidney injury is frequently associated with severe diabetic ketoacidosis on admission in ICU. Most of the time, this AKI is transient and characterised by a volume-responsiveness to fluid infusion used in DKA treatment. Age, blood glucose and serum protein are associated to the occurrence of AKI on ICU admission.

How does DKA cause kidney failure?

DKA is associated with hyperglycemic crises and featured by metabolic acidosis, the production of ketoacids, volume depletion, and electrolyte imbalance. Due to glucose-induced osmotic polyuria and even emesis, volume depletion is a major cause of acute kidney injury (AKI) in DKA patients [3].

What is the first complication of diabetes?

The most common early complication of diabetes, related to insulin treatment, is hypoglycemia. Mild hypoglycemic reactions, consisting of headache, tremors, abdominal pain, or mood changes, are considered a part of tight control.

What is the most common diabetic complication?

Nerve damage (neuropathy): One of the most common diabetes complications, nerve damage can cause numbness and pain. Nerve damage most often affects the feet and legs but can also affect your digestion, blood vessels, and heart.

What are the microvascular complications of diabetes?

Microvascular complications of diabetes are those long-term complications that affect small blood vessels. These typically include retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy. Retinopathy is divided into two main categories: Nonproliferative retinopathy and proliferative retinopathy.

How does hyperglycemia cause diabetic ketoacidosis?

If you fail to treat hyperglycemia, a condition called ketoacidosis (diabetic coma) could occur. Ketoacidosis develops when your body doesn’t have enough insulin. Without insulin, your body can’t use glucose for fuel, so your body breaks down fats to use for energy.

Why is hypoglycemia a complication associated with diabetes?

The hormone insulin lowers blood sugar levels when blood sugar is too high. If you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes and need insulin to control your blood sugar, taking more insulin than you need can cause your blood sugar level to drop too low and result in hypoglycemia.

Is diabetic ketoacidosis painful?

Symptoms include sunken eyes, rapid breathing, headache, muscle aches, severe dehydration, weak peripheral pulses, nausea, stomach pain and cramping, vomiting, semi or unconsciousness, cerebral edema, coma and death. DKA is a horrendously painful way to die.

What is anion gap in diabetic ketoacidosis?

Anion Gap. In patients with diabetic ketoacidosis, the anion gap is elevated ([Na + K] – [Cl + HCO3] greater than 10 mEq/L in mild cases and greater than 12 mEq/L in moderate and severe cases).

What is the metabolic acidosis?

Definition. Metabolic acidosis is a condition in which there is too much acid in the body fluids.

What blood test indicates ketoacidosis?

A ketones in blood test is mostly used to check for diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in people with diabetes.