Diabetic ketoacidosis - Complications of diabetic ketoacidosis
- Introduction
- Symptoms of diabetic ketoacidosis
- Causes of diabetic ketoacidosis
- Treating diabetic ketoacidosis
- Complications of diabetic ketoacidosis
- Preventing diabetic ketoacidosis
- Diagnosis
With prompt treatment, complications of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) are uncommon.
However, when complications do occur they are usually serious. The complications of diabetic ketoacidosis are described below.
Cerebral oedema
Swelling of the brain is a very serious complication of diabetic ketoacidosis. It's caused when excess water builds up inside the brain. The medical term for this is cerebral oedema.
Cerebral oedema is usually seen in children and it occurs in around 1 in every 150 cases of diabetic ketoacidosis. It's not known why water builds up in the brain in this way.
Symptoms of cerebral oedema include:
- headache
- drowsiness
- restlessness and irritability
- seizure (fits)
Cerebral oedema is very serious and can cause severe brain damage. In around 1 in 4 cases this can be fatal.
A person with cerebral oedema will be admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) and treated with a medication called mannitol, which helps reduce the brain swelling.
Acute kidney failure
Severe dehydration can cause your kidneys to stop working (acute kidney failure).
Your kidneys remove waste products from your blood, so if they stop working you may experience a range of symptoms such as:
- swelling in your arms and legs due to a build-up of fluid (oedema)
- feeling sick
- feeling very tired
- confusion
Until your dehydration has been successfully treated, you may need dialysis. This is a treatment that uses a machine to filter waste products from your blood.
Once your fluid levels have been restored to normal, your kidneys should start to recover.
Adult respiratory distress syndrome
The rapid and unpredictable changes in fluid levels that can occur in diabetic ketoacidosis can occasionally result in the lungs becoming filled with fluid. This is known as adult respiratory distress syndrome and can cause serious breathing difficulties.
If you develop adult respiratory distress syndrome, a machine called a ventilator can be used to help you breathe until your condition stabilises.
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