Alcoholic Ketoacidosis: Causes, Symptoms, and Diagnosis

The most important consideration is finding a treatment that’s best suited to you and your individual needs and also takes into account your specific mental health or other medical concerns so you can start the path to recovery. If you develop any of these symptoms, seek emergency medical attention. It can be helpful to understand the basic guidelines for alcohol consumption so you can determine whether you are drinking above recommended levels and engaging in potentially harmful alcohol use. Your prognosis will be impacted by the severity of your alcohol use and whether or not you have liver disease. Prolonged used of alcohol can result in cirrhosis, or permanent scarring of the liver.

How do doctors treat alcoholic ketoacidosis?

Both cause abdominal pain, with marked central nervous system depression, but alcoholic ketoacidosis methanol toxicity results in visual impairment, while ethylene glycol toxicity results in crystalluria, oliguria, and renal failure. In 1940, Dillon et al1 described a series of nine patients who had episodes of severe ketoacidosis in the absence of diabetes mellitus, all of whom had evidence of prolonged excessive alcohol consumption. It was not until 1970 that Jenkins et al2 described a further three non‐diabetic patients with a history of chronic heavy alcohol misuse and recurrent episodes of ketoacidosis. This group also proposed a possible underlying mechanism for this metabolic disturbance, naming it alcoholic ketoacidosis.

• When your body burns fat for energy, byproducts known as ketone bodies are produced.
• Alcoholic ketoacidosis (AKA) is a common reason for investigation and admission of alcohol dependent patients in UK emergency departments.
• In general, the prognosis for a patient presenting with AKA is good as long as the condition is identified and treated early.
• Antiemetics such as ondansetron or metoclopramide may also be given to control nausea and vomiting.

How Is Alcoholic Ketoacidosis Diagnosed?

• A person who isn’t eating properly and getting the nutrition the body needs from food because they’re drinking  heavy amounts of alcohol instead, starts to get a buildup of excessive amounts of ketones in the body.
• It also depends on how long it takes to get your body regulated and out of danger.
• Bedside testing reveals a low or absent breath alcohol, normal blood sugar, metabolic acidosis, and the presence of urinary ketones, although these may sometimes be low or absent.
• Management is based around exclusion of serious pathology and specific treatment for AKA where it is present.

But it can happen after an episode of binge drinking in people who do not chronically abuse alcohol. Alcoholic ketoacidosis doesn’t occur more often in any particular race or sex. If you have symptoms of alcoholic ketoacidosis, your doctor will perform a physical examination. They will also ask about your health history and alcohol consumption. If your doctor suspects that you’ve developed this condition, they may order additional tests to rule out other possible conditions. After these test results are in, they can confirm the diagnosis.

Ethanol metabolism

Alcoholic ketoacidosis is a metabolic complication of alcohol use and starvation characterized by hyperketonemia and anion gap metabolic acidosis without significant hyperglycemia. Alcoholic ketoacidosis causes nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Diagnosis is by history and findings of ketoacidosis without hyperglycemia. Breathing tends to become deep and rapid as the body attempts to correct the blood’s acidity.

People who drink large quantities of alcohol may not eat regularly. Not eating enough or vomiting can lead to periods of starvation. Alcoholic ketoacidosis can develop when you drink excessive amounts of alcohol for a long period of time. Excessive alcohol consumption often causes malnourishment (not enough nutrients Sobriety for the body to function well).

• Alcoholic ketoacidosis causes nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
• The clinical and biochemical features of AKA are summarised in boxes 1 and 2.
• Ketones are a type of acid that form when the body breaks down fat for energy.
• Take our free, 5-minute alcohol abuse self-assessment below if you think you or someone you love might be struggling with alcohol abuse.
• Ketones provide some energy to cells but also make the blood too acidic (ketoacidosis).
• This buildup of ketones can produce a life-threatening condition known as ketoacidosis.
• The dextrose will also increase glycogen stores and diminish counterregulatory hormone levels.