The Hidden Danger of DKA: A Silent Threat in Undiagnosed Diabetes

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Millions of people are unknowingly at risk of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a life-threatening complication of diabetes that can strike without warning. For those with undiagnosed diabetes, this condition is a silent time bomb, waiting to unleash devastating consequences.

 

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (2019 data):

• 37.3 million people in the U.S. had diabetes, representing 11.3% of the population.

  • 37.1 million were adults aged 18 or older.

  • 283,000 were children and adolescents under 20, including 244,000 with type 1 diabetes.

• 28.7 million people had been diagnosed with diabetes (8.7% of the population).

  • 28.5 million were adults aged 18 or older.

• Shockingly, 8.5 million adults—23% of adults with diabetes—were undiagnosed, unaware of the dangerous condition lurking within them.

 

These undiagnosed individuals are particularly vulnerable to DKA, which occurs when insufficient insulin leads to a toxic buildup of ketones in the blood. Without early recognition of symptoms, DKA can escalate rapidly, often with fatal results.

 

We must act now to raise awareness and educate communities about the warning signs of diabetes and DKA. By spreading this knowledge, we can save countless lives from this preventable tragedy. 

 

Source: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2019).