To the Editor: The incidence of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in children is rising globally, including in Australia.1 Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is the leading cause of diabetes-related deaths in children.2 Clinical manifestations of DKA include dehydration; rapid, deep, sighing (Kussmaul respiration); nausea; vomiting; abdominal pain and a reduced level of consciousness.2 There is an inverse relationship between the frequency of presentation with DKA and background incidence of T1D in a given country,3 suggesting that the diagnosis is more likely to be considered earlier in countries with higher incidence of T1D, such as Australia.
The full article is accessible to AMA
members and paid subscribers.
Login to MJA or subscribe now.
- 1. Catanzariti L, Faulks K, Moon L, et al. Australia’s national trends in the incidence of Type 1 diabetes in 0–14-year-olds, 2000–2006. Diabet Med 2009; 26: 596–601.
- 2. Wolfsdorf J, Craig ME, Daneman D, et al. Diabetic ketoacidosis in children and adolescents with diabetes. Pediatr Diabetes 2009; 10 Suppl 12: 118-133.
- 3. Usher-Smith JA, Thompson MJ, Sharp SJ, Walter FM. Factors associated with the presence of diabetic ketoacidosis at diagnosis of diabetes in children and young adults: a systematic review. BMJ 2011; 343: d4092.
- 4. Abdul-Rasoul M, Al-Mahdi M, Al-Qattan H, et al. Ketoacidosis at presentation of type 1 diabetes in children in Kuwait: frequency and clinical characteristics. Pediatr Diabetes 2010; 11: 351-356.
- 5. Craig ME, Twigg SM, Donaghue KC, et al. National evidence-based clinical care guidelines for type 1 diabetes in children, adolescents and adults. Canberra: Department of Health and Ageing, 2011. http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/guidelines/ publications/ext004 (accessed Jul 2012).
Online responses are no longer available. Please refer to our instructions for authors page for more information.
No relevant disclosures.