A new study, published in the journal Diabetes Care, examined the neurological consequences of a serious diabetes complication in children with type 1 diabetes. The complication, called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), can be more common with new diabetes cases in childhood. When the diabetes is not yet being managed, the increase of DKA incidence can lead to changes in the brain that adversely impact neurocognitive outcomes.

According to HealthDay, DKA causes temporary changes to the brain matter of children newly diagnosed with the disease. Those changes, while temporary, have lasting effects, such as a decrease in memory and attention that persists for at least half a year following the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. The associated residual changes may subtly affect higher level learning tasks.

Medline Plus describes diabetes as a disease in which a person’s blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels are too high.  With type 1 diabetes, the body does not make insulin.   Insulin is a hormone that helps the glucose get into the cells to give them energy.  Having too much glucose in the blood can be damaging.   Over time, it can damage the eyes, kidneys, and nerves.  Diabetes can also cause heart disease, stroke and even the need to remove a limb.

The Mayo Clinic reports that DKA is a complication of diabetes that occurs when your body produces high levels of blood acids called ketones. Without enough insulin, the body begins to break down fat as an alternate fuel. This process produces a buildup of toxic acids in the bloodstream called ketones, eventually leading to DKA if left untreated.