ABSTRACT

Objective: To evaluate the frequency of diabetic ketoacidosis and presenting symptoms in patients of diabetes mellitus presenting at tertiary care hospital.

Material and methods: In this cross sectional study total 145 patients of diabetes were selected from Department of Medicine from April 2020 to November 2020. Inclusion criteria was: un-controlled type II Diabetes Mellitus with HBA1c levels > 8, age between 30-70 years, male or female. Diabetic ketoacidosis was studied in selected patients. 

Results: Mean age of the patients 49.80 ± 9.38 years.  Out of 145 patients, ketoacidosis was found in 30 (21%) patients.  Vomiting was the most common (88/60.69%) presenting symptom followed nausea in 59 (40.68%) patients, polyuria 50 (34.48%), polydipsia 41 (28.27%), abdominal pain 32 (22.07%), weight loss 16 (11.03%) and Polyphagia in 8 (5.52%) patients.  Ketoacidosis was found in 15 (23.44%) male diabetics and 15 (18.52%) female diabetics.  Association of ketoacidosis with gender was not significant (P = 0.468).

Conclusion: Findings of this study showed a higher rate of diabetic ketoacidosis.  Vomiting was the most common presenting symptom.  Most of the patients were between 30-50 years.  No gender difference was found in development of diabetic ketoacidosis.  Most of the patients of diabetic ketoacidosis had family history of diabetes.