[Medical Q&A] What are the early warning signs of diabetic ketoacidosis? How to prevent it through home blood sugar monitoring?

Planner: Chinese Medical Association

Reviewer: Liu Huizhen, deputy chief physician of China Rehabilitation Research Center

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a serious complication of diabetes that can threaten the patient's life if not treated in time. The early warning signs of DKA usually manifest as a series of physical discomfort. First, due to increased blood sugar levels, diabetic patients will experience symptoms of polydipsia and polyuria. This is because the body tries to eliminate excess sugar through urination, while taking away a lot of water, causing the patient to feel thirsty. Secondly, gastrointestinal function will also be affected, with symptoms such as loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting. These symptoms may be caused by metabolic disorders caused by increased blood sugar levels. In addition, because the body cannot effectively use glucose as an energy source, patients will feel tired and weak, and may even experience severe symptoms such as shortness of breath, abdominal pain, confusion, and drowsiness. The appearance of these warning signs indicates that diabetic patients may be in the early stages of DKA and need to seek medical attention immediately.

In order to prevent the occurrence of DKA, home blood glucose monitoring plays a vital role. By regularly monitoring blood glucose, patients can understand their blood glucose levels in a timely manner, thereby adjusting their diet, exercise and drug treatment plans to maintain blood glucose stability. Home blood glucose monitoring mainly includes the monitoring of fasting blood glucose, postprandial blood glucose and bedtime blood glucose. Fasting blood glucose can reflect the blood glucose level in the basal state, while postprandial blood glucose can understand the ability of pancreatic B cells to secrete insulin and the effect of eating on blood glucose. Bedtime blood glucose helps guide the dosage of nighttime medication or insulin injection. For diabetic patients, it is recommended to monitor blood glucose at least 2 to 4 times a day. If blood glucose is unstable, the monitoring frequency needs to be increased.

When conducting home blood sugar monitoring, patients need to pay attention to the following points. First, choose an accurate and reliable blood sugar meter and learn how to use it correctly. Second, monitor at fixed times, such as after getting up in the morning, 2 hours before or after meals, and before going to bed. At the same time, blood sugar values ​​should be recorded after each monitoring so that doctors can adjust treatment plans based on blood sugar conditions. In addition, since infection is one of the common causes of DKA, patients should be careful to avoid infection.