An Explanation of Diabetic Ketoacidosis

Diabetic ketoacidosis is a deficiency in insulin that can be triggered by a number of different things including dehydration, hyperglycemia and metabolism problems. Do not underestimate how serious this is. About 2% of people who develop diabetic ketoacidosis will die from it. And the majority of people who get it already suffer from type 1 diabetes.

So let's talk about some of the causes. Perhaps the most common is infection. Next on the list of causes would be a lack of regular insulin treatments. And no matter what the cause, if you don't keep your body well hydrated during diabetic ketoacidosis, coma and death are some of the common results.

That's why we should back up a bit and talk about the background. We all probably know that diabetes is a common ailment caused by the body's inability to properly break down sugar. Insulin manages your body's sugar levels, and diabetics cannot properly produce insulin. If there is no sugar or insulin, you body begins to use fat as an energy source. These fats are broken down, and a by product of this are keytones. If these keytones become acidic, the result is diabetic ketoacidosis.

There are plenty of symptoms that make it easy to recognize ketoacidosis. The most common ones are low blood pressure, muscle aches, lethargy, rapid breathing, nausea, dehydration and difficulty breathing. Your doctor will be able to give you other signs and symptoms associated with ketoacidosis.

Learning the signs of diabetic ketoacidosis is on way to keep the condition from developing. Without a quick diagnosis and treatment, the body can suffer, among other things, heart attacks and kidney failure.

If you have diabetes it is important to find out from your doctor what you limits are, and how to keep your levels in check to avoid ketoacidosis.

And the internet can provide plenty of resources and information about this sometimes life threatening condition. It's one reason why people with diabetes need to make sure to properly take care of themselves.