About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffIf your doctor suspects diabetic ketoacidosis, he or she will do a physical exam and various blood tests. In some cases, additional tests may be needed to help the doctor determine what triggered the episode of diabetic ketoacidosis or what damage the ketoacidosis may have caused.
Blood tests
Blood tests used in the diagnosis of diabetic ketoacidosis will measure:
- Blood sugar level. If there isn't enough insulin in your body to allow sugar to enter your cells, your blood sugar level will rise (hyperglycemia). As your body breaks down fat and protein for energy, your blood sugar level will continue to rise.
- Ketone level. When your body breaks down fat and protein for energy, toxic acids known as ketones enter your bloodstream.
- Blood acidity. If you have excess ketones in your blood, your blood will become acidic (acidosis). This can damage organs throughout your body.
Additional tests
Your doctor also may order tests to identify underlying health problems that may have contributed to diabetic ketoacidosis and check for complications. Tests may include:
- Blood electrolyte tests
- Urinalysis
- Chest X-ray
- A recording of the electrical activity of the heart (electrocardiogram)
- Ketoacidosis (DKA). American Diabetes Association. http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/complications/ketoacidosis-dka.html. Accessed March 31, 2010.
- Ferri FF. Diabetic ketoacidosis. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2010. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/192147260-3/0/2088/189.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05609-0..00013-7--sc0070_3802. Accessed March 31, 2010.
- Eisenbarth GS, et al. Type 1 diabetes mellitus. In: Kronenberg HM, et al. Kronenberg: Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. 11th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/192147260-3/0/1555/195.html?tocnode=54108733&fromURL=195.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2911-3..50033-9--cesec72_2996. Accessed March 31, 2010.
- Fogel N, et al. Management of diabetic ketoacidosis in the emergency department. Clinical Pediatric Emergency Medicine. 2009;10:246.
- Checking for ketones. American Diabetes Association. http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/blood-glucose-control/checking-for-ketones.html. Accessed March 31, 2010.
- If you have diabetes, know your blood sugar numbers! National Diabetes Education Program. http://www.ndep.nih.gov/media/KnowNumbers_Eng.pdf. Accessed March 31, 2010.
- Kitabchi A, et al. Clinical features and diagnosis of diabetic ketoacidosis and hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 31, 2010.
- Collazo-Clavell, ML (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. April 20, 2010.
Find Mayo Clinic on