Background: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is associated with a high mortality rate, especially if cerebral edema develops during the disease course. It is rarer and more severe in adults than in children. We present cases of two patients with cerebral edema-related DKA.
Case presentation: The first patient was a 38-year-old man with diabetes mellitus who presented with DKA-related disturbed consciousness. Although glycemic correction was performed slowly, he showed pupil dilation 11 h later. He underwent emergency ventricular drainage, but died of cerebral herniation. The second patient was a 25-year-old woman who presented with impaired consciousness secondary to DKA. Head computed tomography showed subarachnoid hemorrhage and cerebral edema. No related intraoperative findings were observed; it was concluded that the first computed tomography scan revealed pseudo-subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Conclusion: Diabetic ketoacidosis-related cerebral edema develops despite treatment according to guidelines and is difficult to predict. Therefore, adult patients should be treated cautiously during DKA management.
Keywords: DKA; cerebral edema; consciousness; diabetes; diabetic ketoacidosis.
© 2023 The Authors. Acute Medicine & Surgery published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japanese Association for Acute Medicine.