Diabetic ketoacidosis in children equals to hypertension

Study has found that for children with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), hypertension is a common phenomenon.

Researchers gathered 1,258 patients who had sufficient haemodynamic data for the present analysis while using data from the Paediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network. Out of these, 12.2 percent had documented hypertension at presentation.

In under 2 hours, hypertension were resolved quickly in 36 children and for 118 episodes, hypertension lasted for 2 hours. During DKA treatment, the blood pressure was normal at baseline in 196 patients but progressed to hypertension during DKA treatment. Developed at any time during DKA, the resulting overall rate of hypertension was at 27.8 percent.

The median duration of  hypertension was 4.0 hours and at presentation, correlated with more severe acidosis and stage 2 or 3 acute kidney injury. On the contrary, at baseline, lower glucose levels or glucose-corrected sodium concentrations were associated with hypertension at presentation.

Lower scores on the Glasgow Coma Scale and more severe acidosis correlated with the development of hypertension at any point during DKA. Severe acidosis, stage 2 acute kidney injury, and younger patient age are also directly correlated with hypertension severity.

The researchers stated that a central mechanism may be involved in causing abnormal haemodynamic regulation with the development of hypertension during DKA treatment and the association of hypertension with altered mental status.

They also added that it is necessary to better understand relationships of regional cerebral blood flow abnormalities during DKA is necessary and how these relate to life-threatening cerebral injuries in some children.