Factors Associated With The Occurrence of Diabetic Ketoacidosis in Adult Patients With Underlying Diabetes Mellitus at Seka Hospital

Abstract

          This retrospective case-control study aimed to determine factors associated with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in adult patients with underlying diabetes mellitus at Seka Hospital. The diabetic patients aged 18 years or older who were admitted in Seka hospital with the  hyperglycemia (plasma glucose > 200mg/dl) from 1^st January 2022 to 31^st October 2025 were enrolled and compared between DKA and non-DKA group. The data were collected from medical record. Descriptive statistics were used for baseline characteristics, categorical and continuous data were analyzed using Chi-square/Fisher’s exact tests and t-test/Mann-Whitney U tests, respectively. Binary logistic regression analysis identified independent factors related to DKA. All tests were two-tailed with significance set at p < 0.05.

          Results: A total of 72 patients were analyzed, consisting of 24 DKA patients and 48 non-DKA controls. Factors significantly associated with DKA included younger age, with a mean of 50.4  compared to 61.1 years old in the control group (p < 0.001). Additionally, a history of alcohol consumption and the presence of behavioral health conditions were found to be factor associated with DKA in univariable analysis, both demonstrating strong statistical significance (p = 0.003, both). Multivariable regression analysis revealed that age was the only factor in the multivariable model that remained significant associated with DKA. each one-year increase in age was associated with a 7.4% reduction odds of developing DKA (AOR = 0.926, 95% CI = 0.880–0.973, p = 0.003).

          Conclusion: Younger age, alcohol consumption, and psychiatric conditions were associated with DKA in univariable analyses. In the multivariable model, only age remained significant associated with DKA, with increasing age associated with lower odds of DKA.