Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42488241›Full record

ArticleCureus2026

Epidemiological Pattern and Precipitating Factors of Diabetic Ketoacidosis: A Retrospective Study at King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Buraidah, Saudi Arabia.

Abdulrahman M Alharbi, Omar K Alsaawi, Naif Y Aljumaah, Abdulrahman A Alkhulayfi, Ibrahim K Alharbi, Essa A Alharbi

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Article in Cureus, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Abdulrahman M AlharbiDepartment of Endocrinology, King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Buraidah, SAU.
Omar K AlsaawiDepartment of Internal Medicine, King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Buraidah, SAU.
Naif Y AljumaahDepartment of Internal Medicine, King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Buraidah, SAU.
Abdulrahman A AlkhulayfiDepartment of Internal Medicine, King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Buraidah, SAU.
Ibrahim K AlharbiDepartment of Internal Medicine, King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Buraidah, SAU.
Essa A AlharbiDepartment of Internal Medicine, King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Buraidah, SAU.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDiabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is an acute and severe complication of diabetes that results in increased morbidity and utilization of healthcare resources. Understanding the local patterns and triggers of DKA is important for improving prevention and patient care. This study aimed to assess the epidemiological features and precipitating factors of DKA and evaluate their association with disease severity and time to DKA resolution.

methodsA retrospective review of 193 patients with DKA admitted to King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia, from 2023 to 2025 was conducted. Demographic, clinical, biochemical, and etiological variables were analyzed. Associations between DKA severity and resolution time were assessed using the chi-square test, t-test, ANOVA, and multivariate logistic regression.

resultsMost patients were young, with 90 patients (46.6%) aged <18 years. Moderate DKA was the most frequent presentation, affecting 114 patients (59.1%), followed by mild DKA in 51 patients (26.4%) and severe DKA in 28 patients (14.5%). The mean HbA1c level was 11.9%. Missing insulin doses were the main trigger for DKA in 122 patients (63.2%), followed by respiratory tract infections in 21 patients (10.9%) and newly diagnosed diabetes and not on any medications in 16 patients (8.3%). Severe DKA was associated with lower pH, lower bicarbonate, higher anion gap, higher glucose, more pronounced electrolyte abnormalities, and longer resolution times. The etiology of DKA was not significantly associated with severity (p = 0.644) or duration of resolution (p = 0.052); however, infection-related etiologies showed a trend toward longer recovery times.

conclusionAlthough missing insulin doses were the leading trigger for DKA, precipitating etiology did not significantly influence DKA severity or recovery duration. There was no statistically significant relationship between age, chronic diseases, and DKA severity based on the adjusted regression model. DKA severity was the primary determinant of prolonged resolution time. Strengthening adherence, early diagnosis, and risk‑stratified management is essential to reduce the burden of DKA.

Indexed as

diabetic ketoacidosisepidemiologysaudi arabiaseverity predictorstype 1 diabetes mellitus

Identifiers

PMID42488241
PMCPMC13391122

What Socratic holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.