A Case Study of Euglycemic Diabetic Ketoacidosis
Christy C Greenhalgh1, Amy Bigham, Tonya D Shanahan
1Moffett & Sanders School of Nursing, Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama.
Abstract:
Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), seen with relative frequency in the emergency department, is a potentially life-threatening complication of both type I diabetes mellitus and type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) characterized by hyperglycemia, ketosis, and acidosis. However, an uncommon variation of DKA, termed euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis (euDKA) has been increasing in frequency due to the abundance of patients with T2DM being managed on sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors, which pose an increased risk of euDKA. The diagnosis of euDKA can be elusive as the typical presentation of substantial hyperglycemia is absent, which can lead to delayed diagnosis and treatment. This case study highlights the clinical presentation and management of euDKA patients to help increase awareness.
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