Which of the following is a typical sign of dehydration in DKA?

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Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a typical sign of dehydration in DKA?

In diabetic ketoacidosis, the body runs on high blood glucose due to insulin deficiency. The kidneys can’t reabsorb all of that glucose, so it spills into the urine. Water follows the glucose out of the body, causing a large amount of urine—osmotic diuresis. That loss of urine volume leads to dehydration, so polyuria is a classic sign of dehydration in DKA. The other options don’t fit as dehydration signs in this context: hypoglycemia would mean low blood glucose, which isn’t what happens in DKA (it’s hyperglycemic); bradycardia is not typical here—dehydration and DKA usually cause tachycardia from volume loss and electrolyte shifts; a cough has no direct relevance to the dehydration seen in DKA.

In diabetic ketoacidosis, the body runs on high blood glucose due to insulin deficiency. The kidneys can’t reabsorb all of that glucose, so it spills into the urine. Water follows the glucose out of the body, causing a large amount of urine—osmotic diuresis. That loss of urine volume leads to dehydration, so polyuria is a classic sign of dehydration in DKA.

The other options don’t fit as dehydration signs in this context: hypoglycemia would mean low blood glucose, which isn’t what happens in DKA (it’s hyperglycemic); bradycardia is not typical here—dehydration and DKA usually cause tachycardia from volume loss and electrolyte shifts; a cough has no direct relevance to the dehydration seen in DKA.

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