Diabetic Ketoacidosis

Continuing with the topic of diabetes among inmates in local jails, one of the dangers of the disease is the development of ketoacidosis. A serious complication of diabetes, diabetic ketoacidosis is a condition that occurs when a sufficient amount of insulin is not produced by the body.

When there isn’t enough insulin, the body starts breaking down fat as fuel. This results in a buildup of acids in the bloodstream. The acids are called “ketones.” Without treatment, the buildup of ketones can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis.

Symptoms of Diabetic Ketoacidosis

The symptoms of diabetic ketoacidosis often come on suddenly, sometimes as rapidly as 24 hours. The symptoms are sometimes the first signs that a person has diabetes, and they include:

• Urinating frequently
• Experiencing tremendous thirst
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Feeling tired or weak
• Shortness of breath
• Feeling confused
• The breath has a fruity scent

When the symptoms of diabetic ketoacidosis become evident, the person may be experiencing a serious medical emergency. However, more certain signs of the condition, which can show up in urine test kits and home blood tests, include:

• High ketone levels in urine
• High blood sugar level

For jails to provide adequate health care services to inmates, there must be readiness to act on symptoms that may result in serious illness or death. In the next installment of this series, learn about some U.S. stories of county jail inmates who died and whose autopsy revealed that diabetic ketoacidosis was the cause or among the causes of death.

Learn more in Part 1 and this ongoing series.

This website’s purpose is to provide resources for the benefit of municipal and county jail inmates in Texas. Making insinuations that organizations or people have participated in wrongs is never intended.

–Guest Contributor