Clinical characteristics and prognoses of patients with diabetic ketoacidosis in Finland

Aims: To assess the prognosis and risk factors for diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in Tampere University Hospital (Tays) in a retrospective case-control study. Methods: All 282 patients (age ≥15 years) treated for DKA in Tays during the period 2014–2020 were included. A total of 846 controls adjusted for age, gender, diabetes type and municipality, and without any DKA during follow-up were collected from the Finnish National Diabetes Registry. HbA1c, mental and behavioural disorders, and mortality obtained from the Finnish National Diabetes Registry were compared between patients with and without DKA. Results: Patients’ median age was 36 years. Ten percent of the patients with DKA died during the median follow-up time of three years. Mortality rate was sixfold higher in patients with DKA than among the controls (OR 6.28; 95% CI 3.17–12.42). Patients with DKA had higher rates of substance abuse (OR 4.68; 95% CI 3.23–6.78) and depression (OR 2.24; 95% CI 1.58–3.18), and higher median HbA1c levels (84 vs. 61 mmol/mol, p < 0.001). Nineteen percent of the DKA patients (n = 53) had recurrent DKA. Conclusions: DKA is a strong indicator for premature death. Poor glycaemic control, depression and substance abuse are risk factors for DKA.