Abstract
One of the typical complications of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is acute kidney injury (AKI) in pediatric patients. However, the incidence and AKI's risk factors in pediatric patients with DKA remain elusive in Saudi Arabia. We investigated the occurrence rate and associated risk factors of AKI among pediatric DKA patients in Saudi Arabia. A single-center observational retrospective cohort study was conducted at the Maternity and Children Hospital in Buraydah, Saudi Arabia between August 2019 and August 2021. There were 207 DKA patients, including 74 (35.7%) patients with AKI. Among AKI patients, 65 (87.8%) patients presented with stage 1 and 9 (12.1%) patients presented with stage 2 AKI. In patients with DKA, aging, hyperglycemia, increased heart rate, elevated WBC count and serum creatinine, decreased pH and HbA1c were risk factors for AKI. Altogether, the severity of AKI is influenced by several risk factors in DKA patients. Hence, there is an urgent need for conducting prospective long-term research to better comprehend the risk factors and longstanding complications of AKI.