The Lowdown On Diabetic Ketoacidosis
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Diabetic ketoacidosis is a little known medical condition. Apart from those who have this condition, and their friends and family, the general populace is fairly ignorant of the severe implications of this condition. If the condition is untreated for too long, it may prove fatal. Type 1 diabetics are prone to suffer this condition. But this condition can just as easily occur in a non-diabetic person. The picture that emerges from studies of this condition shows that persons who have suffered severe dehydration or bacterial infection and viral attacks are susceptible to diabetic ketoacidosis. The words ‘deadly’ and ‘killer’ are not meant to scare you, but to impress on you that diabetic ketoacidosis is really a very critical, life-threatening condition. The body gets its energy requirements from glucose, which is the result of digestion. Excess glucose is stored as fat. The fat is decomposed when the energy demand cannot be met from the glucose in the blood. The decomposition of fat results in glucose, which is used to get energy, and a fatty acid called ketone. This reconversion releases ketones which are fatty acids, and the level of ketones in the blood exceeds the normal. This condition is called ‘ketoacidosis’. If a person’s blood is heavily infected by external organisms like bacteria or viruses, then ketoacidosis is more likely to occur. A person suffering from severe dehydration is also prone to ketoacidosis. Diabetics are more likely to develop ketoacidosis. In brief, the condition itself is not so much the danger as the delay in treatment is. Why is there this delay? Because the symptoms become evident only after the condition is firmly entrenched. The particular symptoms one should look out for are enumerated below. Skin dryness, elevated temperature, flushed or pale appearance. The severe change in the blood chemistry can cause blurred vision and similar vision problems. The breath can acquire a peculiar odor best described as sickly “sweet smelling”. The person with diabetic ketoacidosis can feel very tired, so tired that he sleeps almost throughout the day. He won’t even take part in those activities that he likes. Extreme nausea and complete loss of appetite. The most critical manifestation of diabetic ketoacidosis is related to the thought processing capability of the brain. The person goes through spells where he is completely confused. The only effective treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis is a prolonged one. The patient should cooperate with the doctors and take the prescribed treatment exactly as advised. The patient must avoid dehydration, taking rehydrating solutions if necessary. The blood glucose must be monitored round-the-clock to avoid it going over or below the normal limits. If these guidelines are followed, diabetic ketoacidosis can be beaten, rest assured! July 28 2009 08:30 am | Diabetes 
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