© American Diabetes Association ®, Inc., 2001
Hyperglycemic Crises in Patients With Diabetes Mellitus
Ketoacidosis and hyperosmolar hyperglycemia are the two most serious acute metabolic complications of diabetes, even if managed properly. These disorders can occur in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The mortality rate in patients with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is <5% in experienced centers, whereas the mortality rate of patients with hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state (HHS) still remains high at This position statement will outline precipitating factors and recommendations for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of DKA and HHS. It is based on the technical review,11 which should be consulted for further information. PATHOGENESIS Although the pathogenesis of DKA is better understood than that of HHS, the basic underlying mechanism for both disorders is a reduction in the net effective action of circulating insulin coupled with a concomitant elevation of counterregulatory hormones, such as glucagon, catecholamines, cortisol, and growth hormone. These hormonal alterations in DKA and HHS lead to increased hepatic and renal glucose production and impaired glucose utilization in peripheral tissues, which result in hyperglycemia and parallel changes in osmolality of the extracellular space.12,13 The combination of insulin deficiency and increased counterregulatory hormones in DKA also leads to release of free fatty acids into the circulation from adipose tissue (lipolysis) and to unrestrained hepatic fatty acid oxidation to ketone bodies (ß-hydroxybutyrate [ß-OHB] and acetoacetate), with resulting ketonemia and metabolic acidosis. HHS on the other hand may be due to plasma insulin concentration inadequate to facilitate glucose utilization by insulin-sensitive tissues but adequate (as determined by residual C-peptide) to prevent lipolysis and subsequent ketogenesis, although the evidence for this is weak.14 Both DKA and HHS are associated with glycosuria, leading to osmotic diuresis with loss of water, sodium, potassium, and other electrolytes.3,1520 The laboratory and clinical characteristics of DKA and HHS are summarized in Tables 1 and 2. As can be seen, DKA and HHS differ in magnitude of dehydration and degree of ketosis (and acidosis).
PRECIPITATING FACTORS The most common precipitating factor in the development of DKA or HHS is infection. Other precipitating factors include cerebrovascular accident, alcohol abuse, pancreatitis, myocardial infarction, trauma, and drugs. In addition, newly onset type 1 diabetes or discontinuation of or inadequate insulin in established type 1 diabetes commonly leads to the development of DKA. Elderly individuals with newly onset diabetes (particularly residents of chronic care facilities) or individuals with known diabetes who become hyperglycemic and are unaware of it or are unable to take fluids when necessary are at risk for HHS.6 Drugs that affect carbohydrate metabolism, such as corticosteroids, thiazides, and sympathomimetic agents (e.g., dobutamine and terbutaline), may precipitate the development of HHS or DKA. In young patients with type 1 diabetes, psychological problems complicated by eating disorders may be a contributing factor in 20% of recurrent ketoacidosis. Factors that may lead to insulin omission in younger patients include fear of weight gain with improved metabolic control, fear of hypoglycemia, rebellion from authority, and stress of chronic disease.13 DIAGNOSIS
History and physical examination
Laboratory findings
The majority of patients with hyperglycemic emergencies present with leukocytosis proportional to blood ketone body concentration. Serum sodium concentration is usually decreased because of the osmotic flux of water from the intracellular to the extracellular space in the presence of hyperglycemia, and less commonly, serum sodium concentration may be falsely lowered by severe hypertriglyceridemia. Serum potassium concentration may be elevated because of an extracellular shift of potassium caused by insulin deficiency, hypertonicity, and acidemia. Patients with low-normal or low serum potassium concentration on admission have severe total-body potassium deficiency and require very careful cardiac monitoring and more vigorous potassium replacement, because treatment lowers potassium further and can provoke cardiac dysrhythmia. The occurrence of stupor or coma in diabetic patients in the absence of definitive elevation of effective osmolality (
Differential diagnosis TREATMENT Successful treatment of DKA and HHS requires correction of dehydration, hyperglycemia, and electrolyte imbalances; identification of comorbid precipitating events; and above all, frequent patient monitoring. Guidelines for the management of patients with DKA and HHS follow and are summarized in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Table 3 includes a summary of major recommendations and evidence gradings.
Fluid therapy Adult patients. Initial fluid therapy is directed toward expansion of the intravascular and extravascular volume and restoration of renal perfusion. In the absence of cardiac compromise, isotonic saline (0.9% NaCl) is infused at a rate of 1520 ml · kg-1 body wt · h-1 or greater during the 1st hour ( 11.5 liters in the average adult). Subsequent choice for fluid replacement depends on the state of hydration, serum electrolyte levels, and urinary output. In general, 0.45% NaCl infused at 414 ml · kg-1 · h-1 is appropriate if the corrected serum sodium is normal or elevated; 0.9% NaCl at a similar rate is appropriate if corrected serum sodium is low. Once renal function is assured, the infusion should include 2030 mEq/l potassium (2/3 KCl and 1/3 KPO4) until the patient is stable and can tolerate oral supplementation. Successful progress with fluid replacement is judged by hemodynamic monitoring (improvement in blood pressure), measurement of fluid input/output, and clinical examination. Fluid replacement should correct estimated deficits within the first 24 h. The induced change in serum osmolality should not exceed 3 mOsm · kg-1 H2O · h-1.1420,22 In patients with renal or cardiac compromise, monitoring of serum osmolality and frequent assessment of cardiac, renal, and mental status must be performed during fluid resuscitation to avoid iatrogenic fluid overload.1420,22
Pediatric patients (<20 years of age). Initial fluid therapy is directed toward expansion of the intravascular and extravascular volume and restoration of renal profusion. The need for vascular volume expansion must be offset by the risk of cerebral edema associated with rapid fluid administration. The 1st hour of fluids should be isotonic saline (0.9% NaCl) at the rate of 1020 ml · kg-1 · h-1. In a severely dehydrated patient, this may need to be repeated, but the initial reexpansion should not exceed 50 ml/kg over the first 4 h of therapy. Continued fluid therapy is calculated to replace the fluid deficit evenly over 48 h. In general, 0.9% NaCl infused at a rate of 1.5 times the 24-h maintenance requirements (
Insulin therapy Ketonemia typically takes longer to clear than hyperglycemia. The nitroprusside method only measures acetoacetic acid and acetone. However, ß-OHB, the strongest and most prevalent acid in DKA, is not measured by the nitroprusside method. During therapy, ß-OHB is converted to acetoacetic acid, which may lead the clinician to believe that ketosis has worsened. Therefore, assessments of urinary or serum ketone levels by the nitroprusside method should not be used as an indicator of response to therapy. During therapy for DKA or HHS, blood should be drawn every 24 h for determination of serum electrolytes, glucose, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, osmolality, and venous pH (for DKA). Generally, repeat arterial blood gases are unnecessary; venous pH (which is usually 0.03 U lower than arterial pH) and anion gap can be followed to monitor resolution of acidosis. With mild DKA, regular insulin given either subcutaneously or intramuscularly every hour is as effective as intravenous administration in lowering blood glucose and ketone bodies.27 Patients with mild DKA should first receive a "priming" dose of regular insulin of 0.40.6 U/kg body wt, half as an intravenous bolus and half as a subcutaneous or intramuscular injection.22 Thereafter, 0.1 U · kg-1 · h-1 of regular insulin should be given subcutaneously or intramuscularly.
After resolution of DKA (glucose <200 mg/dl, serum bicarbonate
Potassium
Bicarbonate
In the pediatric patient, there are no randomized studies in patients with pH <6.9. If the pH remains below 7.0 after the initial hour of hydration, it seems prudent to administer 12 mEq/kg sodium bicarbonate over an hour. This sodium bicarbonate can be added to 0.45 NaCl, with any required potassium, and this solution can be used as the rehydration solution for that hour. No bicarbonate therapy is required if pH is Insulin, as well as bicarbonate therapy, lowers serum potassium; therefore, potassium supplementation should be maintained in intravenous fluid as described above and carefully monitored. (See Fig. 1 for guidelines.) Thereafter, venous pH should be assessed every 2 h until the pH rises to 7.0, and treatment should be repeated every 2 h if necessary. (See Kitabchi et al.11 for a complete description of studies done to date on the use of bicarbonate in DKA.)
Phosphate Continuous monitoring using a flowsheet (Fig. 4) aids in the organization of recovery parameters and treatment interventions.
COMPLICATIONS The most common complications of DKA and HHS include hypoglycemia due to overzealous treatment with insulin, hypokalemia due to insulin administration and treatment of acidosis with bicarbonate, and hyperglycemia secondary to interruption/discontinuance of intravenous insulin therapy after recovery without subsequent coverage with subcutaneous insulin. Commonly, patients recovering from DKA develop hyperchloremia caused by the use of excessive saline for fluid and electrolyte replacement and transient nonanion gap metabolic acidosis as chloride from intravenous fluids replaces ketoanions lost as sodium and potassium salts during osmotic diuresis. These biochemical abnormalities are transient and are not clinically significant except in cases of acute renal failure or extreme oliguria. Cerebral edema is a rare but frequently fatal complication of DKA, occurring in 0.71.0% of children with DKA. It is most common in children with newly diagnosed diabetes, but has been reported in children with known diabetes and in young people in their twenties.33,34 Fatal cases of cerebral edema have also been reported with HHS. Clinically, cerebral edema is characterized by a deterioration in the level of consciousness, with lethargy, decrease in arousal, and headache. Neurological deterioration may be rapid, with seizures, incontinence, pupillary changes, bradycardia, and respiratory arrest. These symptoms progress as brain stem herniation occurs. The progression may be so rapid that papilledema is not found. Once the clinical symptoms other than lethargy and behavioral changes occur, mortality is high (>70%), with only 714% of patients recovering without permanent morbidity. Although the mechanism of cerebral edema is not known, it likely results from osmotically driven movement of water into the central nervous system when plasma osmolality declines too rapidly with the treatment of DKA or HHS. There is a lack of information on the morbidity associated with cerebral edema in adult patients; therefore, any recommendations for adult patients are clinical judgements, rather than scientific evidence. Prevention measures that might decrease the risk of cerebral edema in high-risk patients are gradual replacement of sodium and water deficits in patients who are hyperosmolar (maximal reduction in osmolality 3 mOsm · kg-1 H2O · h-1) and the addition of dextrose to the hydrating solution once blood glucose reaches 250 mg/dl. In HHS, a glucose level of 250300 mg/dl should be maintained until hyperosmolarity and mental status improves and the patient becomes clinically stable.35 Hypoxemia and, rarely, noncardiogenic pulmonary edema may complicate the treatment of DKA. Hypoxemia is attributed to a reduction in colloid osmotic pressure that results in increased lung water content and decreased lung compliance. Patients with DKA who have a widened alveolo-arteriolar oxygen gradient noted on initial blood gas measurement or with pulmonary rales on physical examination appear to be at higher risk for the development of pulmonary edema. PREVENTION Many cases of DKA and HHS can be prevented by better access to medical care, proper education, and effective communication with a health care provider during an intercurrent illness. The observation that stopping insulin for economic reasons is a common precipitant of DKA in urban African-Americans36,37 is disturbing and underscores the need for our health care delivery systems to address this problem, which is costly and clinically serious. Sick-day management should be reviewed periodically with all patients. It should include specific information on 1) when to contact the health care provider, 2) blood glucose goals and use of supplemental short-acting insulin during illness, 3) means to suppress fever and treat infection, and 4) initiation of an easily digestible liquid diet containing carbohydrates and salt. Most importantly, the patient should be advised never to discontinue insulin and to seek professional advice early in the course of the illness. Successful sick-day management depends on involvement by the patient and/or a family member. The patient/family member must be able to accurately measure and record blood glucose, urine ketone determination when blood glucose is >300 mg/dl, insulin administered, temperature, respiratory and pulse rate, and body weight and must be able to communicate this to a health care professional. Adequate supervision and help from staff or family may prevent many of the admissions for HHS due to dehydration among elderly individuals who are unable to recognize or treat this evolving condition. Better education of care givers as well as patients regarding signs and symptoms of new-onset diabetes; conditions, procedures, and medications that worsen diabetes control; and the use of glucose monitoring could potentially decrease the incidence and severity of HHS.
The annual incidence rate for DKA from population-based studies ranges from 4.6 to 8 episodes per 1,000 patients with diabetes, with a trend toward an increased hospitalization rate in the past two decades.38 The incidence of HHS accounts for <1% of all primary diabetic admissions. Significant resources are spent on the cost of hospitalization. Based on an annual average of Because repeated admissions for DKA are estimated to drain approximately one out of every two health care dollars spent on adult patients with type 1 diabetes, resources need to be redirected toward prevention by funding better access to care and educational programs tailored to individual needs, including ethnic and personal health care beliefs. In addition, resources should be directed toward the education of primary care providers and school personnel so that they can identify signs and symptoms of uncontrolled diabetes and newly onset diabetes can be diagnosed at an earlier time. This has been shown to decrease the incidence of DKA at the onset of diabetes.30,39
Footnotes The recommendations in this paper are based on the evidence reviewed in the following publication: Management of hyperglycemic crises in patients with diabetes (Technical Review). Diabetes Care 24:131153, 2001. The initial draft of this position statement was prepared by Abbas E. Kitabchi, PhD, MD, Guillermo E. Umpierrez, MD, Mary Beth Murphy, RN, MS, CDE, MBA, Eugene J. Barrett, MD, PhD, Robert A. Kreisberg, MD, John I. Malone, MD, and Barry M. Wall, MD. The paper was peer-reviewed, modified, and approved by the Professional Practice Committee and the Executive Committee, October 2000. Reprinted with permission from Diabetes Care 24 (Suppl. 1):S83S90, 2001. Corrections were made in March 2001. Minor typographical errors were corrected, and the treatment protocols ( Figures 1, 2, 3) were amended. Specifically, protocols for insulin therapy after resolution of DKA and HHS were clarified. In Figure 3, the potassium dosage was corrected and a caution was added to withhold insulin until potassium is >2.5. REFERENCES 1 McGarry JD, Woeltje KF, Kuwajima M, Foster DW: Regulation of ketogenesis and the renaissance of carnitine palmitoyl transferase. Diabetes Metab Rev 5:271284, 1989[Medline] 2 DeFronzo RA, Matsuda M, Barrett E: Diabetic ketoacidosis: a combined metabolic-nephrologic approach to therapy. Diabetes Rev 2:209238, 1994 3 Atchley DW, Loeb RF, Richards DW, Benedict EM, Driscoll ME: A detailed study of electrolyte balances following withdrawal and reestablishment of insulin therapy. J Clin Invest 12:297326, 1933 4 Halperin ML, Cheema-Dhadli S: Renal and hepatic aspects of ketoacidosis: a quantitative analysis based on energy turnover. Diabetes Metab Rev 5:321336, 1989 5 Malone ML, Gennis V, Goodwin JS: Characteristics of diabetic ketoacidosis in older versus younger adults. J Am Geriatr Soc 40:11001104, 1992[Medline] 6 Matz R: Hyperosmolar nonacidotic diabetes (HNAD). In Diabetes Mellitus: Theory and Practice. 5th ed. Porte D Jr, Sherwin RS, Eds. Amsterdam, Elsevier, 1997, p. 845860 7 Morris LE, Kitabchi AE: Coma in the diabetic. In Diabetes Mellitus: Problems in Management. Schnatz JD, Ed. Menlo Park, CA, Addison-Wesley, 1982, p. 234251 8 Kreisberg RA: Diabetic ketoacidosis: new concepts and trends in pathogenesis and treatment. Ann Int Med 88:681695, 1978 9 Klekamp J, Churchwell KB: Diabetic ketoacidosis in children: initial clinical assessment and treatment. Pediatric Annals 25:387393, 1996[Medline] 10 Glaser NS, Kupperman N, Yee CK, Schwartz DL, Styne DM: Variation in the management of pediatric diabetic ketoacidosis by specialty training. Arch Pediatr Adolescent Med 151:11251132, 1997[Abstract]
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