Comprehensive Symptom Navigator

Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA)

Specialty: Diabetes and Endocrinology

Category: Diabetes Mellitus and Related Disorders

Symptoms:
excessive thirst; frequent urination; nausea; vomiting; abdominal pain; shortness of breath; fruity-smelling breath; confusion

Root Cause:
Insulin deficiency leads to uncontrolled hyperglycemia, lipolysis, and ketone production, causing metabolic acidosis.

How it's Diagnosed: videos
Blood tests showing high blood glucose, ketonemia, low bicarbonate, and arterial blood pH < 7.3; urine tests for ketones.

Treatment:
Intravenous fluids, insulin therapy, electrolyte replacement (potassium), and treating underlying causes (e.g., infection).

Medications:
Regular insulin administered intravenously to reduce blood glucose and ketone levels.

Prevalence: How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Common in individuals with type 1 diabetes; can occur in type 2 diabetes during severe stress.

Risk Factors: Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Poor diabetes management, infection, trauma, surgery, or missed insulin doses.

Prognosis: The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Early treatment leads to recovery; delayed treatment may result in coma or death.

Complications: Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Cerebral edema, hypokalemia, arrhythmias, and death.

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA)

Specialty: Emergency and Urgent Care

Category: Endocrine and Metabolic Emergencies

Sub-category: Diabetes-Related Emergencies

Symptoms:
nausea; vomiting; abdominal pain; rapid breathing; fruity-scented breath; confusion; excessive thirst; frequent urination

Root Cause:
DKA occurs due to insufficient insulin, leading to uncontrolled hyperglycemia, ketone production, and metabolic acidosis.

How it's Diagnosed: videos
Clinical evaluation, laboratory tests showing hyperglycemia (blood glucose >250 mg/dL), ketonemia, ketonuria, low bicarbonate levels (<18 mEq/L), and an elevated anion gap metabolic acidosis.

Treatment:
Immediate fluid resuscitation (IV fluids), insulin therapy, electrolyte replacement (especially potassium), and addressing precipitating factors (e.g., infections).

Medications:
Regular insulin (short-acting insulin for IV infusion to lower blood glucose and suppress ketone production), potassium supplements (for electrolyte correction), bicarbonate (in severe acidosis cases, though used cautiously).

Prevalence: How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Common in individuals with type 1 diabetes and occasionally in type 2 diabetes under stress or illness.

Risk Factors: Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Poor diabetes management, infections, physical or emotional stress, skipping insulin doses, undiagnosed diabetes.

Prognosis: The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Favorable if treated promptly; mortality is low with appropriate intervention but rises if untreated.

Complications: Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Cerebral edema (especially in children), hypokalemia, cardiac arrhythmias, hypoglycemia, and multi-organ failure in severe cases.

Maturity-Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY)

Specialty: Genetics

Category: Genetic Contributions to Common Diseases

Sub-category: Endocrine Disorders

Symptoms:
mild hyperglycemia; frequent urination; excessive thirst; unintended weight loss; fatigue; blurry vision

Root Cause:
Caused by mutations in single genes (e.g., HNF1A, HNF4A, GCK) that regulate insulin production, leading to beta-cell dysfunction in the pancreas.

How it's Diagnosed: videos
Genetic testing for MODY mutations, fasting glucose tests, HbA1c levels, and family history of early-onset diabetes.

Treatment:
Tailored to the subtype; dietary management, oral medications, or insulin therapy (depending on mutation and severity).

Medications:
Sulfonylureas (e.g., glipizide , gliclazide) are often effective in MODY caused by HNF1A or HNF4A mutations. Insulin may be required for other subtypes. GCK-MODY typically does not require treatment.

Prevalence: How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Rare; estimated to affect 1–2% of all diabetes cases globally.

Risk Factors: Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Family history of early-onset diabetes without typical Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes features, autosomal dominant inheritance.

Prognosis: The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Generally good if correctly diagnosed and treated; untreated, mild hyperglycemia may lead to long-term complications.

Complications: Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Increased risk of cardiovascular disease, kidney damage, retinopathy, and misdiagnosis leading to incorrect treatment.

Secondary Diabetes

Specialty: Diabetes and Endocrinology

Category: Diabetes Mellitus and Related Disorders

Sub-category: Other Specific Types of Diabetes

Symptoms:
hyperglycemia; frequent urination; excessive thirst; weight loss; symptoms related to the underlying condition (e.g., cushing’s syndrome or acromegaly)

Root Cause:
Insulin resistance or deficiency caused by an underlying medical condition (e.g., Cushing's syndrome, acromegaly) or medications (e.g., glucocorticoids).

How it's Diagnosed: videos
Blood glucose levels, HbA1c testing, OGTT, and assessment for underlying conditions via imaging or hormonal studies.

Treatment:
Managing the underlying condition, lifestyle changes, and glucose-lowering medications (e.g., metformin, insulin).

Medications:
Insulin for glycemic control; metformin to improve insulin sensitivity; glucocorticoid antagonists if due to steroid therapy.

Prevalence: How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Varies widely depending on the prevalence of underlying conditions (e.g., 2-4% of people on long-term steroid therapy develop secondary diabetes).

Risk Factors: Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Long-term glucocorticoid therapy, tumors affecting hormone production, genetic predisposition to insulin resistance.

Prognosis: The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Good with treatment of the underlying condition and proper glycemic control; outcomes depend on the severity of the primary disease.

Complications: Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Microvascular and macrovascular complications if glycemic control is not achieved, complications related to the primary condition.

Pancreatic Diabetes (Type 3c Diabetes)

Specialty: Diabetes and Endocrinology

Category: Diabetes Mellitus and Related Disorders

Sub-category: Other Specific Types of Diabetes

Symptoms:
chronic hyperglycemia; digestive issues (e.g., steatorrhea); weight loss; frequent urination; excessive thirst

Root Cause:
Damage to the pancreas due to chronic conditions like pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis, or pancreatic surgery, impairing insulin and digestive enzyme production.

How it's Diagnosed: videos
Fasting glucose, HbA1c, C-peptide levels, imaging of the pancreas (e.g., CT or MRI), and fecal elastase for exocrine insufficiency.

Treatment:
Insulin therapy for hyperglycemia, pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) for digestive insufficiency, and dietary modifications.

Medications:
Insulin (short-acting and basal types) for glucose control; pancreatic enzyme replacements (e.g., pancrelipase ) for digestion.

Prevalence: How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Estimated in 5-10% of diabetes cases; underdiagnosed.

Risk Factors: Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Chronic pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis, hemochromatosis, pancreatic surgery, or trauma.

Prognosis: The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Challenging to manage; requires coordinated care for endocrine and exocrine dysfunctions.

Complications: Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Severe hypoglycemia, malnutrition due to digestive enzyme deficiencies, and long-term complications of poorly controlled diabetes (e.g., retinopathy, nephropathy).