Korean J Med.  2005 Aug;69(2):212-215.

A case of hyperthyroidism presented as diabetic ketoacidosis

• Yoon JH
• Kim MJ
• Park JH
• You KH
• Park HS
• Chung SM
• Chin CJ

Abstract

Diabetic ketoacidosis is an acute complication of diabetic mellitus. The most common triggering factors are infection, insulin therapy omission and the onset of the disease, but if these are excluded, other less frequent etiologic factors must be ruled out. We report a case of 22-year-old woman with Graves' disease presented as diabetic ketoacidosis. She was diagnosed type 1 diabetes mellitus at 13 years old and continually has been treated with insulin therapy until now. She typically showed tachycardia at rest in spite of correction of metabolic acidosis. Hyperthyroidism worsens glycemic control in diabetic patients and may precipitate diabetic ketoacidosis. Hyperthyroidism always should be investigated in diabetic patients presenting diabetic ketoacidosis without obvious triggering factors.

Keyword

Ketoacidosis; Diabetic; Graves' disease

MeSH Terms

Acidosis
Adolescent
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1
Diabetic Ketoacidosis*
Female
Graves Disease
Humans
Hyperthyroidism*
Insulin
Ketosis
Tachycardia
Young Adult
Insulin