The key difference between diabetes mellitus and diabetic ketoacidosis is that diabetes mellitus is a medical condition that causes too much glucose or sugar in the blood, while diabetic ketoacidosis is a medical condition that causes the build-up of acids in the blood.
Diabetes mellitus and diabetic ketoacidosis are two associated medical conditions. This is because diabetic ketoacidosis occurs mainly in patients with type 1 diabetes. It can also occur in those with type 2 diabetes, but less commonly. Moreover, diabetic ketoacidosis is the first manifestation of type 1 diabetes in a small fraction of patients.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Diabetes Mellitus
3. What is Diabetic Ketoacidosis
4. Similarities – Diabetes Mellitus and Diabetic Ketoacidosis
5. Diabetes Mellitus vs Diabetic Ketoacidosis in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Diabetes Mellitus vs Diabetic Ketoacidosis
What is Diabetes Mellitus?
Diabetes mellitus is a medical condition that causes too much blood sugar or glucose. Diabetes mellitus is a very common condition and affects approximately 37.3 million people in the United States and about 537 million adults throughout the world. This condition develops when the pancreas does not make enough insulin or when the body is not responding to the effects of insulin correctly.
There are two main types of diabetes mellitus: type 1 and type 2. Type 1 diabetes mellitus is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks its own insulin-producing cells in the pancreas for unknown reasons. In type 2, the body does not make enough insulin, or body cells do not normally respond to insulin (insulin resistance). The symptoms of this condition include urinating a lot, feeling thirsty, losing weight, feeling hungry, blurry vision, numbness or tingling of hands or feet, feeling tired, dry skin, sores that heal slowly, and more infections than usual.
Figure 01: Diabetes Mellitus
This disease can be diagnosed through an A1C test, random blood sugar test, fasting blood sugar test, and glucose tolerance test. Furthermore, treatment options for diabetes mellitus may include healthy eating, physical activity, insulin therapy, oral or other drugs (metformin and SGLT2), pancreas transplantation, and bariatric surgery.
What is Diabetic Ketoacidosis?
Diabetic ketoacidosis is a medical condition that causes the build-up of acids in the blood. It is a complication of diabetes mellitus. This condition happens when blood sugar is too high for a longer period of time. In fact, it usually occurs when the body does not have enough insulin. Therefore, body cells cannot use sugar for energy and use fat for fuel instead, which makes too many acids called ketones in the blood. The symptoms of this condition may include dry mouth, dry skin, feeling thirsty, frequent peeing, nausea, vomiting, weakness, fatigue, confusion, flushed face, weakness or aches in muscles, sweet-smelling breath, belly pain, and shortness of breath.
Figure 02: Diabetic Ketoacidosis
Moreover, diabetic ketoacidosis can be diagnosed through physical examination, blood work, urinalysis, arterial blood gas, blood pressure monitoring, tests for signs of infection, chest X-ray, and echocardiogram. Furthermore, treatment options for diabetic ketoacidosis may include intravenous insulin therapy, fluids to get hydrated, intravenous electrolyte replacement therapy, antibiotics for infections, and managing heart conditions.
What are the Similarities Between Diabetes Mellitus and Diabetic Ketoacidosis?
- Diabetes mellitus and diabetic ketoacidosis are two associated medical conditions.
- Diabetic ketoacidosis occurs mainly in patients with type 1 diabetes.
- Both conditions may have similar symptoms, such as frequent peeing, feeling thirsty, dry skin, etc.
- Both conditions can be diagnosed through physical examination, blood tests, and urine tests.
- They can be treated through intravenous insulin therapy,
What is the Difference Between Diabetes Mellitus and Diabetic Ketoacidosis?
Diabetes mellitus is a medical condition that causes too much glucose or sugar in the blood, while diabetic ketoacidosis is a medical condition that causes the build-up of acids in the blood. Thus, this is the key difference between diabetes mellitus and diabetic ketoacidosis. Furthermore, diabetes mellitus is caused by insulin resistance, autoimmune disease, hormonal imbalances, pancreatic damage, and genetic mutations. On the other hand, diabetic ketoacidosis is caused by low insulin levels, heart attack, alcohol or drug use, and certain medications like diuretics.
The below infographic presents the differences between diabetes mellitus and diabetic ketoacidosis in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
Summary – Diabetes Mellitus vs Diabetic Ketoacidosis
Diabetes mellitus and diabetic ketoacidosis are two associated medical conditions. Diabetic ketoacidosis can be seen more commonly in type 1 diabetes patients than in type 2 diabetes patients. Diabetes mellitus causes too much glucose or sugar in the blood, while diabetic ketoacidosis causes the building up of acids in the blood. So, this summarizes the difference between diabetes mellitus and diabetic ketoacidosis.
Reference:
1. “Diabetes.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
2. “Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA): Causes, Symptoms, Treatments.” WebMD.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus” By Manu5 – Scientific Animations (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Diabetic Ketoacidosis Model” By Gblanchard16 – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia