Diabetes care
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To identify the causes of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in a large urban hospital. ⋯ DKA occurred most often in patients with known diabetes who stopped insulin therapy because of reported lack of money for purchasing insulin or for transportation to the hospital and limited self-care skills in diabetes management. In urban African-American populations, up to two-thirds of the episodes of DKA may be preventable by improving patient education and access to care.
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To examine the factors that might alter the fluidity of erythrocyte membrane in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) patients. ⋯ The factors that most influence membrane fluidity in IDDM patients appear to be hyperglycemia and ketone bodies.