A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE OF ELEVATED LACTATE IN PEDIATRIC PATIENTS WITH DIABETIC KETOACIDOSIS.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to determine the frequency and prognostic significance of lactic acidosis in children with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit.
METHODS: The study was carried out retrospectively by examining the patients admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit for the treatment of DKA. The ages of the patients ranged from 2 to 18 years. The patients with the following parameters were enrolled in the study: serum blood glucose>200 mg/dL, ketonuria presence, venous blood gas pH ≤7.1, bicarbonate <15.
RESULTS: A total of 56 patients were included in the study with a mean age of 111.07 ± 51.13 months. The recovery time from DKA was 16.05 ± 6.25 h in the group with low lactate level and it was 13.57 ± 8.34 h in the group with high lactate level with no statistically significant difference. There was a negative correlation between lactate levels and the recovery time from DKA.
CONCLUSION: Lactic acidosis is common in DKA, and unlike other conditions, such as sepsis, it is not always a finding of poor prognosis that predicts the severity of the disease or mortality. We think that high lactate may even protect against possible brain edema-cerebral damage in DKA. ©by Acta Endocrinologica Foundation.