If you or somebody you love or care for has been diagnosed with diabetes you might be wondering, “What is a diabetic coma?” This is an important question to get answered because diabetic coma is a very serious condition. Diabetic coma causes brain injury and even death in some cases.

Diabetic coma is a condition that causes reversible unconsciousness if treated quickly and appropriately. Diabetic coma requires immediate emergency care and hospitalization. Diabetic coma recovery is possible when the condition is treated properly.

There are three different causes of diabetic coma. Diabetic coma is caused by poor control of diabetes. According to Wikipedia (diabetic coma description), the three types of diabetic coma include:

1. Severe diabetic hypoglycemia
2. Diabetic ketoacidosis advanced enough to result in unconsciousness from a combination of severe hyperglycemia, dehydration and shock, and exhaustion
3. Hyperosmolar nonketotic coma in which extreme hyperglycemia and dehydration alone are sufficient to

In the simplest terms, the causes of diabetic ketoacidosis are all boiled down to dehydration. If a person is experiencing insulin deficiency and high levels of blood sugar along with the organic acids referred to as ketones, the body’s own chemistry becomes severely disturbed. It occurs most often in people with type 1 diabetes, and in that group, people under the age of 25 are affected most.

Diabetic Ketoacidosis Causes

The causes of diabetic ketoacidosis are a little more involved than dehydration, however. When a person becomes dehydrated, a stress response is invoked that breaks down muscle, fat, and liver cells into glucose and fatty acids to use as energy. The breakdown is caused by hormones including glucagon, growth hormone, and adrenaline. The fatty acids are converted into ketones by oxidation. This whole process doesn’t happen in normal people upon dehydration because the hormones are stopped by insulin. But …