Diabetic ketoacidosis; the precipitating entities in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

ABSTRACT

To determine the frequency of various precipitating factors for Diabetic Ketoacidosis [DKA] in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Study Design, This was a prospective study carried out at Department of Medicine, Muhammad Medical College and Hospital Mirpurkhas, from February 2007 to February 2009. 100 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus admitted with diabetic ketoacidosis [DKA] were analyzed to determine the precipitating factors. Out of 100 patients 47 were males and their average age was 47 years [range=17-65] while 53 were females with an average age of 43 [range=14-58], among them 54 had various systemic infections, 18 were non-compliant to the treatments, 24 had other co-morbidities like chronic liver disease [n=8], stroke [n=7], chronic renal failure [n=5], sub-endocardial infarct [n=2] and acute pancreatitis [n=2] as precipitating factors while 4 had their first presentation of diabetes mellitus as diabetic ketoacidosis. A mortality of 14% was recorded in the study. Systemic infections, non-compliance to treatments and co-morbid conditions were the major precipitating factors for diabetic ketoacidosis