Metabolic acidosis in a lactating woman induced by a deliberate ketogenic diet

Michelle J Hong1, Lauren E Schwartz, Hillary H Ward

  • 1At the time this article was written, Michelle J. Hong was a student in the University of South Florida's Morsani College of Medicine in Tampa, Fla. Lauren E. Schwartz, Hillary H. Ward, and Jason C. Morgan practice in the Department of Emergency and Hospital Medicine at Lehigh Valley Health Network in Bethlehem, Pa. Jeanne L. Jacoby is an attending physician and associate research director in the Department of Emergency and Hospital Medicine at Lehigh Valley Health Network and a clinical associate professor of medicine at the University of South Florida. The authors have disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise.

This article describes a rare case of lactation ketoacidosis in a patient who started a ketogenic diet while nursing an infant and toddler. The patient presented to the ED with a history of nausea, vomiting, and postural dizziness, and was found to have a significant metabolic acidosis and elevated lipase level. The metabolic changes induced in this patient could occur in anyone with high metabolic demands who also is on a strict ketogenic diet. The case highlights the importance of a dietary history in patients with unexplained metabolic derangements.

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