Severe Diabetic Ketoacidosis in a Child with Type-1 Diabetes, Asthma, and COVID-19

Wilson A Vasconez; Carmen L Bustamante Escobar; Nisha Agarwal; Juan P Solano; Janine E Sanchez

doi:10.1055/s-0040-1713164

Severe Diabetic Ketoacidosis in a Child with Type-1 Diabetes, Asthma, and COVID-19

J Pediatr Intensive Care. 2021 Sep;10(3):232-234. doi: 10.1055/s-0040-1713164. Epub 2020 Jun 10.

Authors

Wilson A Vasconez¹, Carmen L Bustamante Escobar^{1

2}, Nisha Agarwal^{1

3}, Juan P Solano^{1

3}, Janine E Sanchez^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pediatrics, Holtz Children's Hospital/Jackson Memorial Health System, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, United States.
² Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, United States.
³ Division of Pediatric Critical Care, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, United States.

Abstract

Little is known about the association between novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and type-1 diabetes in children. A 16-year-old female patient with history of type-1 diabetes was admitted for life threatening diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). She recovered from the DKA after 24 hours of insulin infusion and rehydration. On day 2, she was diagnosed with COVID-19. The DKA relapsed and required restarting insulin. She developed leukopenia, neutropenia, and high ferritin. Upon recovery, she was discharged for self-quarantine. Severity of DKA in children with COVID-19 is multifactorial. Clinical suspicion of COVID should be heightened in patients who present with unexplainedly severe DKA.

Keywords: COVID-19; diabetic ketoacidosis; type-1 diabetes.

Publication types

Case Reports