POSSIBLE MECHANISM FOR CEREBRAL OEDEMA IN DIABETIC KETOACIDOSIS

This hypothesis, presented to explain the cerebral oedema that sometimes occurs during treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), is based on activation of the Na+/H+ exchanger, a ubiquitous plasma-membrane transport system that functions in the regulation of cytoplasmic pH. Experimental acidification of the cytoplasm with weak organic acids activates the exchanger and, in the presence of extracellular Na+, leads to cell swelling. This swelling …