With almost one-in-five children with diabetes developing a dangerous complication known as Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) – a lack of insulin in the body – before they are officially diagnosed with the condition, doctors are calling for greater diabetes awareness.
Rates of DKA, in those already diagnosed with diabetes are highest in females aged between 10 and 19 in England and Wales, according to a report from the National Paediatric Diabetes Audit (NPDA).
If left untreated, DKA can cause mental confusion, rapid heartbeat and breathing, sickness and unconsciousness and can be life threatening if not diagnosed and treated urgently.
The Audit, which was commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) as part of the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme (NCAPOP), identified 6,210 hospital admissions out of 25,199 children and young people under the age of 25 with diabetes for 2011-12 who are cared for in 177 paediatric centres across England and Wales.
The audit also found that approximately half of all hospital admissions in children with diabetes are related to acute complications including DKA and hypoglycaemia. The number of admissions for DKA remain high but have improved since 2010-11. Females tend to have higher rates of DKA admissions than males: (11.6% and 8.9% of females with diabetes in England and Wales respectively compared to 7.7% and 5.0% for males); and nearly 1-in-10 admissions to hospital of children and young people with diabetes is as a result of a hypoglycaemic episode.
