What is DKA (diabetic keto-acidosis)?

Question

What is DKA (diabetic keto-acidosis)?

Answer 1

Ketoacidosis is a type of metabolic acidosis which is caused by high concentrations of ketone bodies, formed by the deamination of amino acids, and the breakdown of fatty acids. The two common ketones produced in humans are acetoacetic acid and β-hydroxybutyrate.

This is most common in untreated type 1 diabetes mellitus, when the liver breaks down fat and proteins in response to a perceived need for respiratory substrate. It can also occur with people undergoing hunger strikes, fasting over 3 days, or people starving to death as the body is forced to break down fat for sustenance due to their lack of outside nutrition.

Ketoacidosis can be smelled on a person's breath. This is due to acetone, a direct byproduct of the spontaneous decomposition of acetoacetic acid. It is often described as smelling like fruit or nail polish remover.[1]

Ketoacidosis should not be confused with ketosis, which is one of the body's normal processes for the metabolism of body fat. In ketoacidosis, the body fails to adequately regulate ketone production causing such a severe accumulation of keto acids that the pH of the blood is substantially decreased

Also confused witht the smell of alcohol - on someones breath.

Answer 2

http://www.anaesthetist.com/icu/organs/e...

Gives a lot more information about it!  

Answer 3

It occurs in diabetes mellitus where there is an imbalance within two processes, meaning a) acidosis (where the acidity level of the body tissues is very high due to acid / alkaline balance within the blood) and b) Ketosis (the ketone bodies which are products of fat metabolism, are elevated when there is an imbalance in this process).  Symptoms included  nausea and vomiting, abdominal tenderness, confusion or coma, extreme thirst and weight loss. This is an life-threatening situation and the person should be rushed to hospital as soon as possible.

Answer 4

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetic_ke...

there ya go

Answer 5

short version: your sugar gets way to high because you have no insulin to use the sugar. so your body resorts to getting energy by burning fat. when fat gets burned for fuel, it turns into ketones where its released in your body and enough floating around makes you acidotic. then sometimes your breath smells like juicy fruit! DKA is usually sugar levels >600 .

Answer 6

Basically when the body is starving (or thinks it's starving) it gets involved to stay alive.  It begins breaking down your organs to stay alive.  The outproduct of this event is ketones and they can be measured in blood or urine.  Untreated it evolves into ketoacidosis.  Ketoacidosis can be fatal if not addressed.

Anyone can become ketoacidotic, not just a diabetic.  Anorexia, starvation diets or a really bad flu are examples of the body starving or thinking it's starving.  

In the case of a diabetic... Your body works off a simple recipe to proess sugar.  Food + insulin = fat cells.  Need both ingredients.  Our bodies make the insulin but a diabetic doesn't make insulin.  So even though the diabetic is eating, the body doesn't recognize you ate anything since there's no insulin being produced.  It executes that same emergency plan, but in a diabetic it's called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).  A diabetic can still enter DKA after diagnosis.  A diabetic who isn't taking their insulin, eating any carbs, or has a really bad bug will make ketones.  They have to stay on top of ketones and that bad bug with extra insulin and lots of liquids so it doesn't get ahead of them.