[Chapters from alcohology].

Abstract

Alcoholic ketoacidosis is a combined metabolic complication of alcohol consumption and starvation without hyperglycemia, and it may be seen in alcohol-dependent patients upon cessation of drinking or after binge drinking. Alcoholic ketoacidosis usually presents with nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, and can affect multiple organ systems. Untreated alcoholic ketoacidosis is often fatal. Its treatment is complex. The effective and timely treatment improves the outcome of the condition, but according to the long-term prognosis, alcoholics surviving alcoholic ketoacidosis still die earlier than non-drinkers. After appropriate treatment, the patient has to be referred to a rehabilitation program in order to prevent relapse and to prevent/minimalize long-term irreversible damage caused by alcohol consumption. Orv Hetil. 2024; 165(49): 1927–1933.