Diabetic ketoacidosis at diagnosis of type 1 diabetes in Asturias (Spain) between 2011 and 2020: influence of symptom duration on prevalence of ketoacidosis and weight loss

BACKGROUND // Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a serious complication that usually occurs at diagnosis of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D). However, the prevalence of DKA at diagnosis of T1D is heterogeneous in different regions of the world. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of DKA at diagnosis of T1D in Asturias.METHODS // This study included all patients under nineteen years of age diagnosed with T1D in Asturias between 2011 and 2020. Retrospective review of medical records was performed to analyse DKA and other characteristics at diagnosis. A log binary regression model was constructed to obtain an estimate of the prevalence ratio of DKA to diagnosis in the years studied.RESULTS // A total of 267 people were diagnosed with a mean age of 9.85 +/- 4.46 years. The prevalence of DKA at diagnosis during this period was 38.63%. There was an increasing trend, with a prevalence ratio over the years studied of 1.015 (95%CI: 0.96-1.07; p=0.61). Duration of symptoms before diagnosis was 4.57 +/- 7.64 weeks. Weight loss was 7.56 +/- 7.26%, being more than 10% of previous weight in almost half of the patients who loosed weight. There was a positive relationship between symptoms duration and prevalence of DKA and between time to diagnosis and weight loss.CONCLUSIONS // Asturias has a high prevalence of DKA at diagnosis of T1D, slightly higher than observed in other studies at national level and higher than in other similar countries, with a tendency to increase. Delayed diagnosis is a key factor in the prevalence of DKA and weight loss. Thus, health actions are needed for the early detection of T1D to avoid DKA at diagnosis.