Skip main navigation

New offer! Get 30% off one whole year of Unlimited learning. Subscribe for just £249.99 £174.99. New subscribers only. T&Cs apply

Find out more

What happens when insulin levels run low in type 1 diabetes

Describes Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA), an emergency state in diabetes which requires hospital based treatment
If they feel unwell, people with diabetes need to take special care as any illness, even if not specifically related to their diabetes (like the flu) can cause their blood sugar (glucose) level to rise.

Did you know? Part of the body’s natural response to illness is to raise the circulating blood sugar level. This may mean that people with diabetes need to take a higher dose of insulin than usual, rather than reducing the dose or not taking any.
Reducing an insulin dose or stopping it altogether can lead to serious problems and often may cause diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). This is an emergency state in diabetes which requires hospital based treatment.

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA)

DKA is a dangerous complication that is caused by a lack of insulin in the body. It occurs when the body is unable to break down glucose, because there is not enough insulin.

Instead, it breaks down fat as an alternative source of fuel. This causes a build-up of a by-product known as ketones, which disrupts the metabolism.

The more ketones produced, the more ill a person with DKA becomes and left untreated potentially fatal complications can occur.

The diagram below illustrates the process of diabetic ketoacidosis.

The process of diabetic ketoacidosis diagram Figure: the process of diabetic ketoacidosis


Did you know? Before insulin was used in the treatment of diabetes, children dying from DKA were kept in large wards where they were mostly comatose until they, inevitably, died. Find out more about one of medicine’s more dramatic moments when insulin was first used to successfully treat DKA in January 1922.

© University of Southampton
This article is from the free online

Understanding Insulin

Created by
FutureLearn - Learning For Life

Reach your personal and professional goals

Unlock access to hundreds of expert online courses and degrees from top universities and educators to gain accredited qualifications and professional CV-building certificates.

Join over 18 million learners to launch, switch or build upon your career, all at your own pace, across a wide range of topic areas.

Start Learning now