ABSTRACT
Endocrine and Electrolyte Emergencies Jeffrey Denham an d Wendy Denham
D iabetic ketoacidosis (D K A ) is a syndrome o f hyperglycemia, acidosis, dehydra tion, and electrolyte depletion caused by a relative or absolute deficiency o f insulin in the setting o f increased “stress” /counter-regulatory hormones. It usually occurs in type I diabetics but m ay also occur in type II diabetics associated with m ajor con current illness, which alters the balance between insulin and counter-regulatory hor mones. In either case the end result is uncontrolled catabolism .
