According to Diabetes Care, there were over 3,300 cases of children in England admitted to hospital with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) last year.  In addition, children and young people under 18 years of age accounted for around a quarter of the 13,465 emergency admissions for DKA during the 12-month period from April 2008 to March 2009. 

The number of Accident and Emergency admissions due to DKA has risen steadily in recent years, with an increase of around 9% since 2006.  Diabetes Care has raised concerns that this may be due delayed diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes, and the charity is calling for better access to paediatric specialist diabetes teams.  The Chief Executive of Diabetes UK comments that “the number of emergency admissions could be reduced significantly with investment in appropriate care, diabetes advice and practical self-management support.”