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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffDiabetic ketoacidosis is a serious complication of diabetes that occurs when your body produces high levels of blood acids called ketones.
Diabetic ketoacidosis develops when your body is unable to produce enough insulin. Insulin normally plays a key role in helping sugar (glucose) — a major source of energy for your muscles and other tissues — enter your cells. Without enough insulin, your body begins to break down fat as an alternate fuel. This process produces a buildup of toxic acids in the bloodstream called ketones, eventually leading to diabetic ketoacidosis if untreated.
If you have diabetes or you're at risk of diabetes, learn the warning signs of diabetic ketoacidosis — and know when to seek emergency care.
- Ketoacidosis (DKA). American Diabetes Association. http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/complications/ketoacidosis-dka.html. Accessed July 3, 2012.
- Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2013: 5 Books in 1. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2012. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-08373-7..C2010-0-68318-0&isbn=978-0-323-08373-7&uniqId=343834918-3#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-08373-7..C2010-0-68318-0--TOP. Accessed July 3, 2012.
- Kitabchi A, et al. Hyperglycemic crises in adult patients with diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2009;32:1335.
- Siafarikas A, et al. Type 1 diabetes in children: Emergency management. Australian Family Physician. 2010;39:290.
- Usher-Smith JA, et al. Factors associated with the presence of diabetic ketoacidosis at diagnosis of diabetes in children and young adults: A systematic review. British Medical Journal. 2011;343:d4092.
- Longo DL, et al. Harrison's Online. 18th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2012. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=9141196. Accessed July 3, 2012.
- McPhee SJ, et al. Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2012. 51st ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2012. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=15524. Accessed July 3, 2012.
- Checking for ketones. American Diabetes Association. http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/blood-glucose-control/checking-for-ketones.html. Accessed July 3, 2012.
- Castro MR (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. July 6, 2012.
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