Diabetic ketoacidosis is a silent killer on the prowl. This deadly condition upsets the blood chemistry so severely that the patient’s very life is threatened. Studies have shown that there are three high-risk categories of people who are more vulnerable to diabetic ketoacidosis. The first category includes those who are seriously diabetic (Type 1). The second includes those who are severely dehydrated. The third includes those who have had massive infections by bacteria or viruses. The rest of the population may not be that much at risk, but make no mistake, just about everybody is on this prowler’s hit-list. Make sure you don’t get your name up on that list!
Diabetic ketoacidosis is an extremely critical metabolic condition. Normal metabolism breaks the food into the basic form of sugar called glucose. The glucose is used as an energy source for the muscles. Unused glucose is converted to fats and stored for future use in the adipose tissue found all over the body. If the body’s energy requirements cannot be met by the glucose circulating in the blood, the fats are converted back to glucose, and this reconverted glucose is used to meet the energy demands of the body.
The presence of the fatty acid in the blood changes the chemistry of the blood and makes it more acidic than it ought to be. This condition is called ketoacidosis. The body is sufficiently competent to eliminate the excess ketones from the blood on a regular basis. If the ketoacidosis goes beyond the normal level and if it is chronic, then the normal blood chemistry is altered to such an extent that normal life becomes impossible for the sufferer. The high-risk categories are more likely to get diabetic ketoacidosis, but the other catgories are vulnerable to this condition nonetheless.
The main reason that diabetic ketoacidosis goes undetected and untreated for too long is that the symptoms of this condition become evident only when the condition has reached a critical level. So it is wiser to detect the telltale signs of this condition as early as possible. These are:
Skin dryness, elevated temperature, flushed or pale appearance.
Another telltale sign is impaired vision. A person with diabetic ketoacidosis experiences severe blurring of vision.
Sickly sweet smelling breath.
The person with diabetic ketoacidosis can feel very tired, so tired that he sleeps almost throughout the day. He won’t even take part in those activities that he likes.
A person with diabetic ketoacidosis can’t eat. He doesn’t feel like eating at all. If he does attempt a light meal, he brings it up almost immediately, with violent retching.
Mental confusion and lack of comprehension.
Careful monitoring of the blood glucose is the only effective way to control diabetic ketoacidosis. Diabetics who require insulin shots should be extremely regular in taking them. Dehydration must be countered by taking rehydration salts. Supplementary glucose should be taken if the glucose level drops sharply below the minimum level. Everything must be done under proper medical supervision, that goes without saying for such a serious, and possibly fatal, condition! The treatment is not an overnight cure, but it is the only effective one. Take care!
