Euglycemic Diabetic Ketoacidosis in the Setting of SGLT2 Inhibitor Use and Hypertriglyceridemia: A Case Report and Review of Literature

Abstract

We describe the case report of a patient with euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis (euDKA), in the setting of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor use, complicated by hypertriglyceridemia (HTG). A 28-year-old female with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus and subsequent type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) on dapagliflozin and metformin presented with a one-week history of polyuria, poor appetite, and vomiting. On admission, serum glucose was 111 mg/dl, bicarbonate 18 mmol/l, anion gap 20, triglycerides 508 mg/dL, and venous pH 7.27. Serum ketone levels could not be assessed, as blood samples kept hemolyzing due to significant lipemia. The patient was initially admitted for starvation ketosis. However, serum chemistry obtained six hours after presentation revealed no change in the anion gap and a rise in triglycerides. She was treated with an insulin drip for euDKA and HTG with the resolution of the clinical picture. We performed a literature review of this topic and discuss the pathophysiology, diagnosis, management, and prevention of SGLT2-inhibitor-induced euDKA.