Severe dyslipidemia associated with diabetic ketoacidosis in newly diagnosed female of type 1 diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is considered as a serious complication of type 1 diabetes mellitus in pediatrics. Severe dyslipidemia in DKA is a rare eventuality.We report on a 10-year-old female presented with severe DKA. The serum was lipemic with severe hypertriglyceridemia and hypercholesterolemia. Laboratory workup: the values of glycemia, sodium and HbA1c were misleading; a method of dilution was used to obtain the correct values. Triglyceride and cholesterol returned gradually to normal levels only with the management of DKA without any complication. Mild dyslipidemia is a common feature in DKA, but severe dyslipidemia is a very rare event whose pathophysiology is not completely elucidated. It needs close surveillance because it might be responsible for acute pancreatitis and lipidemia retinalis.