Severe and Recurrent Diabetic Ketoacidosis in Children and Youth with Type 1 Diabetes: Risk and Protective Factors
Authors' conclusion
Severe and recurrent DKA have both shared and unshared risk factors. Severe DKA may be a singular phenomenon in most cases, although a subset of patients (primarily Black and female) experience repeated severe events, placing them at high risk for adverse health outcomes.
Study context
- Population
- Children age 0–18 years with T1D seen at a large children's hospital/integrated care delivery system, Southwestern United States, October 2019–December 2022
- Participants
- 1,850 participants4,649 encounters
- Outcome
- Predictors of any DKA, severe DKA and recurrent DKA (postdiagnosis)
- Follow-up
- Each subsequent year, predicted from the preceding 2 years
Methodological detailsretrospective chart review, logistic regression with recursive feature elimination, fivefold cross-validation, 846 prior diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) events
- Retrospective chart review
- Logistic regression with recursive feature elimination
- Fivefold cross-validation
- 846 prior DKA events
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Predictors of DKA, severe DKA and recurrent DKA
- Single prior DKA, recurrent prior DKA and HbA1c were significant shared predictors for subsequent DKA, severe DKA and recurrent DKA
- Female sex positively associated with any DKA and recurrent DKA
- Recurrent DKA: age 10-14 years an unshared risk factor
- Recurrent DKA: Hispanic ethnicity and insulin pump use (with or without AID) unshared protective factors
- Based on RFE
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Correlation of severe DKA incidence with number of prior DKA events
- Correlation (r)
- 0.95
Multiple recurrent DKA and repeated severe DKA
- Black and female patients more likely to experience multiple recurrent DKA episodes and repeated episodes of severe DKA
Original publication
Severe and Recurrent Diabetic Ketoacidosis in Children and Youth with Type 1 Diabetes: Risk and Protective Factors. Diabetes Technol Ther. Published 27 May 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →