TY - JOUR
AR - JCMCR-2022-1-101
TI - Acute Starvation as a Trigger for Non-Diabetic Ketoacidosis in a Third-Trimester Pregnant Woman Undergoing Severe SARS-CoV-2 Pneumonia
AU - L. R., Villalobos Lopez
AU - O. R., Jimenez Flores
AU - Luis, Del Carpio-Orantes
AU - M., Martinez Rojas
AU - A. A., Basulto Herrera
JO - Journal of Clinical and Medical Case Reports
PY - 2022
DA - Thu 03, Mar 2022
SN - 2733-2268
DO - http://dx.doi.org/10.31487/j.JCMCR.2022.01.01
UR - https://www.sciencerepository.org/acute-starvation-as-a_JCMCR-2022-1-101 
KW - Non-diabetic ketoacidosis, pregnancy, starvation, COVID-19 severe pneumonia, SARS-CoV-2
AB - Acute starvation was found as the single probable triggering cause for this condition, since most-common causes of high-anion gap metabolic acidosis were dismissed. We report the case of a 34-year-old woman undergoing a 25-weeks pregnancy and suffering COVID-19 severe pneumonia who developed severe and persistent metabolic acidemia caused by non-diabetic ketoacidosis in whom we found a background of 48-hours starvation prior to ICU admission. The patient underwent 13-days mechanical ventilation and comprehensive care as well as an addressed treatment for this complication. Further the metabolic acidosis got solved and lately we were able to discharge her from the ICU and, ultimately, from hospital to home with the only need of supplementary oxygen. Ketosis is common in prolonged fasting, but it rarely impacts pH in an acute patient. In conditions of increased metabolic demand, such as pregnancy and pneumonia, starving could increase metabolic stress and finally alter the acid-base status affecting the clinical situation for the patient.