Non-diabetic ketoacidosis associated with a low carbohydrate, high fat diet in a postpartum lactating female

A 31-year old non-diabetic woman presented to our hospital with symptoms of dehydration, drowsiness, fatigue, shortness of breath and vomiting present for two consecutive days prior to admission. She had started a low carbohydrate, high fat (LCHF) diet to induce weight loss while breastfeeding her 4-month-old child 2 weeks prior to admission. The patient was found to have a severely high anion gap metabolic acidosis. It was determined to be due to ketoacidosis, which was as a result of carbohydrate restriction in the presence of increased metabolic demands related with the synthesis and secretion of milk. She denied alcohol use or ingestion of any drugs prior to admission. The patient underwent dialysis and received insulin, 5% dextrose water alongside a well-balanced diet with adequate calories. All abnormal laboratory results normalized and follow-up visits were done. Lactating women are at risk of developing ketoacidosis due to high metabolic demands of the body to produce milk. LCHF diets may exacerbate the body's demand to meet its milk production requirement and result in ketoacidosis. Health professionals need to be aware of the complications of LCHF diet in this population to prevent mortality associated with this condition.

Keywords: LCHF; ketoacidosis; lactation.