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Diabetic ketoacidosis and its complications among children

Afshin Safaei Asl1, Shohreh Maleknejad, Morteza Ebrahimi Kelachaye

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Iran. afshin_safaei2@yahoo.com

Acta Medica Iranica
|May 21, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in children with type 1 diabetes is common, particularly in summer. Management has improved, reducing treatment time, highlighting the need to consider DKA even on initial diagnosis.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Endocrinology
  • Metabolic Disorders

Background:

  • Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a serious complication of type 1 diabetes (DM type I) in children.
  • Recognizing DKA and its complications is crucial for timely and effective management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe the characteristics, treatment, and outcomes of DKA in children with DM type I.
  • To evaluate trends in DKA management over time.

Main Methods:

  • A descriptive study analyzing patient medical files of children diagnosed with DKA.
  • Data collected included demographics, disease characteristics, treatment, and outcomes.
  • Statistical analysis performed using SPSS 11.0, presented in frequency tables and charts.

Main Results:

  • The study included 63 children (53.1% female, 46.9% male).
  • DKA occurred most frequently in summer (42.2%), followed by autumn (29.7%), winter (15.6%), and spring (12.5%).
  • Significant improvement observed in correcting acidosis, decreasing from over 40 hours to under 28 hours over the study period.

Conclusions:

  • Management of DKA in children with DM type I has improved in recent years.
  • It is essential to consider DKA even in the first presentation of a diabetic child.

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