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Discussion

DKA question

IcanHealYou · 2009-07-29T19:44:27+00:00

Okay, I feel like a total idiot now, thanks.

Jul 29, 200917 yr

Hey everyone,

This has been bugging me for quite a while. Why does DKA only happen in hyperglycemic states? DKA happens when there is severe insulin deficiency and no sugar is being taken in by cells. So the body will start breaking down fat to get sugar but in turn also release ketones. Eventually there is an abundance of ketones which causes acidosis.

However logically this can seem to happen whether a person is in hyperglyemic or hypoglyemic states. In either one the body does not have enough sugar absorption. The only rationale i can come up with as to why it won't happen in hypoglycemic states is that a person may have taken too much insulin which means all the sugar has been absorbed. The cells will have enough sugar but not in the bloodstream. However people can become hypoglycemic w/o insulin medication through exericise or not eating.

Can someone shed some light as to why DKA only happens in hyperglycemic states?