New figures have shown that there were 3,317 cases of children being admitted to hospital emergency departments last year with diabetic ketoacidosis.
These figures are dramatically increased on the figure of child admissions in connection with diabetes from 2006 which was at 2,617, a rise of 8 per cent.
Young people and children under the age of 18 accounted for over a quarter of the 12,326 emergency admissions for diabetic ketoacidosis during the period from April 2006 to March 2007.
Diabetic ketoacidosis can potentially induce a coma if medical attention is not saught immediately. It can be the first obvious sign of undiagnosed type 1 diabetes in childhood, with symptoms such as sluggishness and fatigue, weight loss, stomach pain and vomiting. However, during its early stages, ketoacidosis can be treated and damage is usually minimal.
Diabetic Ketoacidosis happens because of a lack of glucose entering the cells where it can be used as energy. The body begins to use stores of fat as an alternative source of energy, and this in turn produces an acidic by-product known as ketones.
Ketones are very harmful and if the level of ketones in the body continues to rise, ketoacidosis develops.
As the level of ketones rise, it may be possible to smell them on the breath - often described as smelling like pear drops or nail varnish.
Ketones are easily detected by a simple urine test, using strips available on prescription. People with diabetes should test their urine for ketones if their blood glucose is high (usually over 15mmol/l) or if they have any symptoms of ketoacidosis.
If ketones are present you should call your doctor or diabetes specialist nurse immediately, or go to your nearest accident and emergency department.
Any person with diabetes who is insulin dependent could develop diabetic ketoacidosis and in exceptionally rare cases people controlling their diabetes with diet or tablets have been known to develop ketoacidosis when severely ill.
The high-risk time for developing ketoacidosis is when a person is unwell, as part of the body's response to illness and infection is to release more glucose into the bloodstream, and to stop insulin from working properly.
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The steady rise in the number of hospital admissions for child diabetic ketoacidosis was revealed in a Parliamentary answer and the Department of Health has said that it is committed to improving services.
Figures from Diabetes UK state that the UK has the fourth highest incidence of Type 1 diabetes in children at 22 per 100,000 a year in Europe, and the lowest number of children attaining good blood glucose control.
For more information on type 1 diabetes and diabetes in childhood visit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation at http://www.jdrf.org.uk