High Rates of Diabetic Ketoacidosis in Patients with New and Known Type 1 Diabetes over a Six-Year Period.

Aims To analyse all paediatric patients who presented with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) from 2012 to 2017. Methods A retrospective observational study was carried out analysing all cases of diabetic ketoacidosis admitted to a regional centre from 2012-2017. Results We identified 133 cases of DKA, 81 (61%) were newly diagnosed patients and 52 (39%) were patients with known T1DM. There were 215 new diagnoses of T1DM during the study period giving a DKA rate at diagnosis of 38%. Among the 52 cases with established T1DM, 13 cases (25%) presented in severe DKA and 37 cases (71%) occurred in adolescents aged over 12 years. Precipitating factors included chronic suboptimal control and psychosocial factors (28/52), acute illness (16/52), and pump technical failure (5/52). There were two cases treated for suspected cerebral oedema and one case each of subarachnoid haemorrhage and cardiac arrhythmia. Conclusion The current proportion of new T1DM presenting in DKA is higher than international data. The high frequency of DKA in known T1DM indicates a need for particular focus on adolescents.