Health Tip: Understanding Diabetic Ketoacidosis

[kebaldwin]

Health Tip: Understanding Diabetic Ketoacidosis

(HealthDay News) -- Diabetic ketoacidosis occurs when ketones -- a byproduct of fats when broken down -- begin to build up in the body. It occurs when glucose, a sugar typically used as the body's energy source, isn't available and the body begins to use fat instead.

Left untreated, ketoacidosis can lead to serious cell damage, heart attack, kidney failure, and even death.

Here are some warning signs of the condition, courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine:

Frequent urination or thirst that persists for a day or more. Fatigue, and muscle stiffness or aches. Headache, nausea and vomiting. Distinctive breath odor, often fruity. Mental stupor or disorientation that could lead to coma. Rapid breathing, or difficulty breathing when lying down. Low blood pressure. Loss of appetite, abdominal pain.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20070629/hl_hsn/healthtipunderstandingdiabeticketoacidosis;_ylt=AqWIoE2eLA5iJ_xSv5di_jXVJRIF

[kebaldwin]

Mental stupor
Although some of you would say this explains me - I have been in ketosis for 4.5 years now and never felt better.

I think they need to explain the difference.

[CindySue48]

That really isn't an accurate description.

With benign ketosis (as in low carb diets), glucose isn't available because intake of carbs is low....but with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) glucose isn't available because the body can't use it.

In benign ketosis the blood sugar levels are low and ketone levels aren't that high. With DKA, on the other hand, blood glucose levels are extremely high (Usually over 350), insulin levels are VERY low, and ketones are also much higher than seen in benign ketosis. With DKA often there is also significant or severe dehydration, very low blood pressure, and an accumulation of other organic acids.

This is a rather deceptive description. Almost all cases of DKA are in insulin dependent individuals, not diabetics on oral meds and certainly not those of us following a low carb diet! Starvation in a person without type 1 diabetes will not cause DKA, so certainly a low carb diet won't!