Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a serious complication of diabetes. It occurs when a lack of insulin leads to potentially life-threatening acidosis and imbalances of electrolytes in the blood.
Although DKA is more common in people with type 1 diabetes, it can also occur in those with type 2. If there’s no insulin or not enough insulin, your body starts to break down fat and muscle to generate ketones for energy instead.
High concentrations of ketones acidify the blood, which causes symptoms like nausea, vomiting, fruity breath, brain fog, rapid heart rate, and difficulty breathing.
High blood sugar causes excessive urination and the leakage of sugar into the urine. This in turn leads to loss of body water and dehydration as well as loss of essential electrolytes, including sodium and potassium, explains StatPearls.
Insulin is also essential for directing potassium into the body’s cells, so without it, potassium levels can also rise very high. The level of another electrolyte, bicarbonate, also falls as the body tries to compensate for excessively acidic blood, says the National Kidney Foundation (NKF).
According to the American Diabetes Association, DKA can be deadly and is almost always treated in a hospital, as complex electrolyte imbalances cannot be managed at home. If you or anyone else is experiencing DKA symptoms, immediately speak to a doctor, go to the emergency room, or call 911.