Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Diabetes, ketoacidosis and memory problems

Diabetic ketoacidosis occurs when the body lacks insulin and burns fat for energy instead of sugar. This can lead to nausea, vomiting and fatigue and a feeling of mental sluggishness. There is anecdotal evidence of children with diabetes having memory problems and a team of researchers from the University of California, Davis looked into the links between diabetes, ketoacidosis and memory problems in a study of 62 children. 33 of the children had had an episode of diabetic ketoacidosis in the past and these children were found to perform significantly worse on memory tests.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019134718.htm

2 comments:

humun said...

I've seen that paper. The sample was small but incredibly well balanced on other relevant variables. DKA seems to be something to avoid.

John Gale said...

Thanks humun. Yes - I guess the main thing is to manage your diabetes so you don't get into this situation but maybe this is easier said than done.
Best Wishes,
John Gale
Mental Health Update