Rare Danger of Ketoacidosis Affects Some with Type 2 Diabetes

HOUSTON - Sept. 30, 2013 - PRLog -- Imagine a liver’s inability to turn fats and proteins into sugars for energy in the bloodstream. Instead, it creates dangerous levels of toxic acids known as ketones, essentially poisoning the blood. This extreme condition, commonly a concern for people with type 1 diabetes, can be life-threatening.

However, a growing segment of the population with type 2 diabetes is also confronting ketoacidosis. At Harris Health System (http://www.harrishealth.org/) in Houston, Dr. Ashok Balasubramanyam, chief, Endocrinology, Harris Health Ben Taub Hospital, and professor, Baylor College of Medicine (http://www.bcm.edu/), and his team were among the first to discover Ketosis-Prone Diabetes, a condition in which persons without type 1 diabetes develop diabetic ketoacidosis. In fact, the team led by Balasubramanyam has established a clinic at Harris Health Ben Taub to treat patients with this condition, understand its causes and discover optimal treatments.

Traditionally, there are two forms of diabetes: type 1 and 2. In type 1, the pancreas produces little or no insulin, the hormone needed to help sugars (glucose) enter cells to produce energy. Type 2 diabetes is more common and occurs when the body becomes resistant to insulin or doesn't make enough. However, with the increase of diabetes worldwide, new forms of diabetes are emerging, and Ketosis-Prone Diabetes is one, Balasubramanyam says.

Harris Health patient Thaddeus Lavalais is one of about 50,000 patients seen annually through the system’s comprehensive Diabetes Service Line, a recognized program by the American Diabetes Association (http://www.diabetes.org/). Lavalais, 48, was first diagnosed with diabetes when he was hospitalized with diabetic ketoacidosis. In the past, this automatically would have been attributed to a type 1 diabetes diagnosis

Lavalais showed signs more consistent with type 2 diabetes that included older age and being overweight. After extensive testing, he was diagnosed with Ketosis-Prone Diabetes.

Knowing a patient is susceptible for ketoacidosis can be lifesaving. People with ketoacidosis commonly suffer severe symptoms that include vomiting, extreme dehydration, breathing problems and possible coma, putting them at risk for organ failure, heart attacks, stroke and death.

“When you’re treating someone with diabetes, the best results and improvement in quality of life measures comes from educating patients on how to take care of their bodies,” Balasubramanyam says. “Letting them know all their risks and giving them the tools to improve their health is a great responsibility. Knowing that their condition does not fit the traditional categories of type 1 or type 2 diabetes is important for patients with Ketosis-Prone Diabetes, and our dedicated staff strives to educate these patients.”

Lavalais agrees. His diabetes is under control thanks to his significant lifestyle changes. He’s lost 40 pounds and is vigilant about his sugar and carbohydrate intake. Initially required to take insulin shots twice a day, he’s no longer taking insulin. Instead, he’s on a two-pill-a-day regimen and knows to monitor his sugar levels, and rarely worries about suffering another ketoacidosis incident.

“It’s important if you want to maintain a decent quality of life and if you also want to be here for your family,” he says. “I have two daughters and I want to take care of myself and be here for them.”

For Balasubramanyam, hearing a patient embrace steps to improving health and well-being is music to his ears. However, he knows that plenty of patients are not so attentive to their health.

“For every person like Mr. Lavalais, we have a lot of patients who don’t follow their treatments or recommended lifestyle changes and are putting their lives at risk,” he said.

Since the discovery of Ketosis-Prone Diabetes, Harris Health has identified about 500 patients with this condition, and has participated in uncovering other causes for other emerging varieties of diabetes, Balasubramanyam says.