“Bovine ketosis” in a nondiabetic postpartum woman

A 19-yr-old woman developed ketoacidosis 7 wk after the delivery of her first child. Despite breast feeding, she had been on a weight reduction diet resulting in a loss of 12 kg/body wt. With the development of a urinary tract infection, the patient became dehydrated and was found to be in ketoacidosis (arterial pH was 7.25 and PaCO₂ was 17 mm Hg). The patient did not use alcohol and was nondiabetic. Therapy with adequate calories, intravenous fluids, and an appropriate antimicrobial agent resulted in prompt normalization of the laboratory abnormalities and resolution of the patient's symptoms. The hypothesis is advanced that the postpartum status of the patient put her at particular risk for development of ketoacidosis and that this may represent the first reported episode of “bovine ketosis” in a human.