Diabetic ketoacidosis awareness and prevention for new onset Type 1 diabetes

Abstract

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is an avoidable life-threatening condition and form of metabolic acidosis that develops with a relative or absolute deficiency of circulating insulin (Cashen & Peterson, 2019). The imbalance of insulin and counterregulatory hormone levels can lead to hyperglycemia, hyperosmolality, ketosis, and acidosis which results in cerebral edema and death if not addressed quickly. The incidence of DKA hospitalizations continues to increase, and the most common cause of DKA is new-onset Type 1 diabetes (T1D).