Characteristics of morbidity due to Diabetic Ketoacidosis in Pediatrics at the Pedro Juan Caballero Regional Hospital, Paraguay

Abstract

Introduction: Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) represents an important source of morbidity in patients with type 1 diabetes, manifesting as an initial event or as a complication in its evolution. Objective: To determine the clinical characteristics, epidemiological and analytical morbidity due to CAD in pediatrics. Specifically, we sought to identify the prevalence according to sex and age group, the relationship between the onset of Diabetes Mellitus and DKA, as well as evaluate the severity of DKA, the presence of previous symptoms and the effectiveness of the protocolized treatment. Materials and Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional descriptive observational study was carried out. The study population included 48 pediatric patients, aged 0 to 15 years, diagnosed with CAD and treated at the Pedro Juan Caballero Regional Hospital. Data collection was carried out during the period from January 2021 to September 2022. Results: The analysis of the data revealed that the majority of patients were female, with a predominance in the age group of 10 to 14 years. The debut of Diabetes Mellitus was the most frequent cause of DKA. It was observed that 62.5% of patients presented moderate DKA, with blood glucose levels greater than 20 mmol/l on admission. Additionally, 57.6% experienced symptoms in the 15 days prior to debut. All patients received treatment according to the protocol established in the service, and the percentage of complications was low (22,9%), with hypoglycemia being the most frequent (63.6%). Conclusions: The results highlight the importance of the debut of Diabetes Mellitus as a common trigger of DKA in this population. The effectiveness of the protocolized treatment is evident, with low complication rates, hypoglycemia being the main one.