Euglycemic Diabetic Ketoacidosis in a Pregnant Patient on Insulin Pump Therapy

Background/Objective: Diabetic ketoacidosis is a common endocrine emergency. A subset of patients present with euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis, which may be diagnosed late due to its rarity and relatively lower blood glucose levels. Pregnancy is associated with euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis, whi...

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Main Authors: Hesham Yasin, MD, Jordan D. Ross, MD, James Turner, MD, Samuel Dagogo-Jack, MD, DSc
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-01-01
Series:AACE Clinical Case Reports
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2376060524001135
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author Hesham Yasin, MD
Jordan D. Ross, MD
James Turner, MD
Samuel Dagogo-Jack, MD, DSc
author_facet Hesham Yasin, MD
Jordan D. Ross, MD
James Turner, MD
Samuel Dagogo-Jack, MD, DSc
author_sort Hesham Yasin, MD
collection DOAJ
description Background/Objective: Diabetic ketoacidosis is a common endocrine emergency. A subset of patients present with euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis, which may be diagnosed late due to its rarity and relatively lower blood glucose levels. Pregnancy is associated with euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis, which can lead to maternal and fetal demise without prompt treatment. The objective of this case report is to describe a patient with type 1 diabetes mellitus who developed euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis on insulin pump therapy during pregnancy. Case Report: A 30-year-old pregnant patient at 33 weeks of gestation with type 1 diabetes mellitus on continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion presented to the emergency department with vomiting. Her serum bicarbonate of 9 mmol/L was accompanied by serum glucose of 130 mg/dL, moderate blood ketones, and urine ketones 80 mg/dL (large). She was treated with intravenous insulin infusion without complications to herself or the fetus. Discussion: Pregnancy is a common background for euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis and can lead to maternal and fetal demise if not addressed early. Despite insulin resistance in pregnancy, a relatively low blood glucose is maintained by increased glycogen storage and increased fetoplacental uptake. Altered acid-base physiology in pregnancy may also increase the propensity for euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis. Conclusion: Diabetic ketoacidosis can present in pregnancy with euglycemia, and a high index of suspicion is needed by both patients and health care teams. There are a few reports on this phenomenon in a pregnant patient using an insulin pump. Early identification and treatment are important to prevent maternal and fetal complications.
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spelling doaj-art-6fd49cc1b7274db48ce49bd599502ed32025-01-15T04:11:45ZengElsevierAACE Clinical Case Reports2376-06052025-01-011114952Euglycemic Diabetic Ketoacidosis in a Pregnant Patient on Insulin Pump TherapyHesham Yasin, MD0Jordan D. Ross, MD1James Turner, MD2Samuel Dagogo-Jack, MD, DSc3Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee; Address correspondence to Dr Hesham Yasin, 621 Tapestry Loop E Apt 111, Cordova TN 38018.Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TennesseeDivision of Endocrinology, Loma Linda University Health, Loma Linda, CaliforniaDivision of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TennesseeBackground/Objective: Diabetic ketoacidosis is a common endocrine emergency. A subset of patients present with euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis, which may be diagnosed late due to its rarity and relatively lower blood glucose levels. Pregnancy is associated with euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis, which can lead to maternal and fetal demise without prompt treatment. The objective of this case report is to describe a patient with type 1 diabetes mellitus who developed euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis on insulin pump therapy during pregnancy. Case Report: A 30-year-old pregnant patient at 33 weeks of gestation with type 1 diabetes mellitus on continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion presented to the emergency department with vomiting. Her serum bicarbonate of 9 mmol/L was accompanied by serum glucose of 130 mg/dL, moderate blood ketones, and urine ketones 80 mg/dL (large). She was treated with intravenous insulin infusion without complications to herself or the fetus. Discussion: Pregnancy is a common background for euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis and can lead to maternal and fetal demise if not addressed early. Despite insulin resistance in pregnancy, a relatively low blood glucose is maintained by increased glycogen storage and increased fetoplacental uptake. Altered acid-base physiology in pregnancy may also increase the propensity for euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis. Conclusion: Diabetic ketoacidosis can present in pregnancy with euglycemia, and a high index of suspicion is needed by both patients and health care teams. There are a few reports on this phenomenon in a pregnant patient using an insulin pump. Early identification and treatment are important to prevent maternal and fetal complications.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2376060524001135diabetic ketoacidosiseuglycemic diabetic ketoacidosispregnancyinsulin pump
spellingShingle Hesham Yasin, MD
Jordan D. Ross, MD
James Turner, MD
Samuel Dagogo-Jack, MD, DSc
Euglycemic Diabetic Ketoacidosis in a Pregnant Patient on Insulin Pump Therapy
AACE Clinical Case Reports
diabetic ketoacidosis
euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis
pregnancy
insulin pump
title Euglycemic Diabetic Ketoacidosis in a Pregnant Patient on Insulin Pump Therapy
title_full Euglycemic Diabetic Ketoacidosis in a Pregnant Patient on Insulin Pump Therapy
title_fullStr Euglycemic Diabetic Ketoacidosis in a Pregnant Patient on Insulin Pump Therapy
title_full_unstemmed Euglycemic Diabetic Ketoacidosis in a Pregnant Patient on Insulin Pump Therapy
title_short Euglycemic Diabetic Ketoacidosis in a Pregnant Patient on Insulin Pump Therapy
title_sort euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis in a pregnant patient on insulin pump therapy
topic diabetic ketoacidosis
euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis
pregnancy
insulin pump
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2376060524001135
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