How is diabetic ketoacidosis treated?
Disease description:
My mother has diabetes. After a hospital follow-up visit, the doctor said she developed diabetic ketoacidosis. How should this be treated?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Wang Mingxuan
Diabetic ketoacidosis is primarily treated with medication. Patients with diabetic ketoacidosis require intravenous fluid replacement, starting with normal saline, followed by glucose or glucose-saline solutions. Since insulin deficiency is the main cause of this condition, insulin must be administered to suppress fat breakdown and hepatic gluconeogenesis. After fluid resuscitation and insulin administration, patients may develop potassium loss; therefore, potassium chloride should be given via intravenous infusion or orally. In severe cases of diabetic ketoacidosis, alkali agents such as sodium bicarbonate solution may also be required.
