Łoś A, et al. - In this retrospective analysis, researchers assessed the direct cause of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and determined the population at risk among patients with a higher predisposition to develop DKA in order to propose methods and the scope of their future education. Between 2014 and 2017, 120 cases of DKA (102 adults with diabetes) hospitalized in the Department of Internal Medicine and Diabetology at the Central Teaching Hospital of Medical University of Lodz were involved. Alcohol abuse (32.5%),followed by infection (23.4%), discontinuation of insulin treatment due to other reasons (13.4%), de novo diabetes (10.8%), lack of compliance (5.8%), mental disorders (5.8%) and complex causes (3.3%) was the main reason for hospitalization of patients for DKA. DKA occurs most often in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D), but can be related to type 2 or other diabetes types. The majority of the patients had a longterm history of poor diabetes control. In many cases, DKA, eg, due to alcohol abuse or non-compliance, can probably be avoided when proper patient education is given.