Description: Diabetic ketoacidosis is a life-threatening complication of childhood diabetes (mainly associated with type 1 or insulin-dependent diabetes).1 Thirty percent of children with new-onset type 1 diabetes present with diabetic ketoacidosis, and an additional 6% to 8% develop diabetic ketoacidosis each year. 2,3 Presenting symptoms may be nonspecific, but laboratory findings of hyperglycemia and ketosis are diagnostic. Treatment involves administration of intravenous fluids and insulin. Children with diabetic ketoacidosis require serial laboratory studies for electrolyte derangements and close clinical monitoring for signs of cerebral edema, an uncommon but potentially fatal complication of pediatric diabetic ketoacidosis.
Identifier: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2021.02.028
Section: Pediatrics/Expert Clinical Management
Volume: 0
Author: Leah Tzimenatos, Lise E. Nigrovic
