Acidity of the blood caused by the presence of ketone bodies produced when the body is unable to burn sugar; thus, it must burn fat for energy.

• A. dementia
• B. diabetic ketoacidosis
• C. enuresis
• D. general anesthesia

Answer: (B)

This describes diabetic ketoacidosis, a metabolic acidosis that occurs when insulin is insufficient and the body can’t use glucose for energy. When sugar can’t be burned for energy, the body turns to fat breakdown for fuel, producing ketone bodies. These ketones are acidic, so their buildup in the blood lowers pH and causes acidity. This state is characteristic of diabetes under insulin deficiency or severe stress, leading to increased ketogenesis and a dangerous metabolic acidosis.

Dementia involves cognitive decline, enuresis is bedwetting, and general anesthesia is a drug-induced unconscious state for surgery—none of these involve the ketone-driven acidosis that comes from burning fat for energy in the context of insufficient insulin.