Thursday, May 23, 2013

Alcoholic ketoacidosis

Table of Contents

Alternative Names

Ketoacidosis - alcoholic


Symptoms
  • Abdominal pain
  • Agitation
  • Changed level of alertness, which may lead to coma
  • Confusion
  • Fatigue
  • Slow, sluggish, lethargic movement
  • Irregular deep, rapid breathing (Kussmaul's sign)
  • Loss of appetite
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Symptoms of dehydration, such as dizziness, light-headedness, and thirst

Signs and tests
  • Arterial blood gases (measure the acid/base balance and oxygen level in blood)
  • Blood alcohol level
  • Blood chemistries, such as CHEM-20
  • Toxicology (poison) screening
  • Urine ketones

Review Date: 04/01/2011
Reviewed By: Jacob L. Heller, MD, MHA, Emergency Medicine, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, Washington. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)