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Diabetic Ketoacidosis



Introduction: Diabetic Ketoacidosis

When diabetics get too high blood sugars, the body creates "ketones" as a by-product of breaking down fats. These ketones cause blood acidity which causes "acidosis" of the blood, leading to Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA), This is a very dangerous condition that can lead to coma and death. It is also called "diabetic acidosis", "ketosis", "ketoacidosis" or "diabetic coma".

DKA is a common way for new Type 1 diabetics to be diagnosed. If they fail to seek medical advice on symptoms like urination and weight loss, they may go into DKA without days or weeks. DKA can also occur in Type 1 diabetics and late-stage Type 2 diabetics who neglect their basic blood sugar control (i.e. non-compliance with insulin treatment), or who accidentally get an extreme high from problems such as sick days, injury, surgery, stress, missed insulin doses, and so on.

Whereas Type 1 diabetics tend to get DKA when they go high, Type 2 diabetics often retain enough pancreas function to avoid ketones. In this case, blood acidity does not occur, but it is still dangerous because severe dehydration can lead to HHNS which is almost as dangerous as DKA.

Symptoms of Diabetic Ketoacidosis

See full list of 11 symptoms of Diabetic Ketoacidosis

Home Diagnostic Testing

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Medical Textbooks Online about Diabetic Ketoacidosis

Medical Books Excerpts
  • "Algorithmic Diagnosis of Symptoms and Signs"
  • "In a Page: Signs and Symptoms"
  • "In A Page: Pediatric Signs and Symptoms"
  • "Differential Diagnosis in Primary Care"
  • "Handbook of Signs & Symptoms (Third Edition)"
  • "A Pocket Manual of Differential Diagnosis"
  • "Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition)"
  • "Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition)"
  • "Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition)"
  • "The 10-Minute Diagnosis Manual: Symptoms and Signs in the Time-Limited Encounter"
  • "Handbook of Diseases"
  • "Alarming Signs and Symptoms: Lippincott Manual of Nursing Practice Series"
  • "Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses"
  • "Nursing: Interpreting Signs and Symptoms"

Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Diagnostic Tests for Diabetic Ketoacidosis

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Wrongly Diagnosed with Diabetic Ketoacidosis?

In-Depth Reports: Diagnosis and Misdiagnosis

Diabetes diagnosis and misdiagnosis (In-Depth Report): Although diabetes diagnosis is well-known to physicians, and a diabetes diagnosis is unlikely to be wholly incorrect, there are still some rare subtypes and less common diagnostic issues to consider. See also misdiagnosis of diabetes and Diabetes Diagnosis Report....read full report »

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Misdiagnosis and Diabetic Ketoacidosis

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Causes of Diabetic Ketoacidosis

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Treatments for Diabetic Ketoacidosis

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Videos for Diabetic Ketoacidosis

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Patient Surveys for Diabetic Ketoacidosis

Prognosis for Diabetic Ketoacidosis

Prognosis for Diabetic Ketoacidosis: Usually good if treated, but can be fatal without treatment.

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Reseach about Diabetic Ketoacidosis

Visit our research pages for current research about Diabetic Ketoacidosis treatments.

Clinical Trials for Diabetic Ketoacidosis

The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.

Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for Diabetic Ketoacidosis include:

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Stories from Users Related to Diabetic Ketoacidosis

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Definitions of Diabetic Ketoacidosis:

Complication of diabetes resulting from severe insulin deficiency coupled with an absolute or relative increase in glucagon concentration; metabolic acidosis is caused by the breakdown of adipose stores and resulting increased levels of free fatty acids; glucagon accelerates the oxidation of the free fatty acids producing excess ketone bodies (ketosis). - (Source - Diseases Database)

Acidosis with an accumulation of ketone bodies; occurs primarily in diabetes mellitus - (Source - WordNet 2.1)

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