DIABETIC-KETOACIDOSIS IN SAUDI-ARABIA

Objective: To determine the patient characteristics, precipitating factors and mortality among diabetic ketoacidosis patients in Saudi Arabia. Design: Prospective cohort study. Subjects: Eighty-five consecutive adults admitted to King Abdul Aziz and King Fahad Hospital, Madinah Al-Munawarah, Saudi Arabia over a period of 2 years starting May 1991. Diagnosis of diabetic ketoacidosis based on: serum sugar > 12 mmol with ketonuria, arterial pH < 7.30 and bicarbonate < 15.0 mmol. Results: Mean age 35.8 years with male to female ratio 1:2. Non-compliance to continue the treatment and infection the most common precipitating factors being responsible for 69.4% and 21.2% cases respectively. A mortality rate of 3.5% compares favourably with other studies and indicates high level of medical care in our series. Conclusion: This study indicates non-compliance as the most common precipitating factor of diabetic ketoacidosis in Saudi Arabia.