Untreated diabetes and methamphetamine involved in the death of Karim Ouellet

MISE À DAY

Suffering from type 1 diabetes, singer Karim Ouellet died after several hospitalizations and a refusal of treatment for his illness coupled with the consumption of methamphetamine.

Found lifeless and in a state of mummification in his studio in the lower town of Quebec on January 17, the singer Karim Ouellet would have died around November 15, two months before his discovery according to the report of coroner Sophie Régnière. The man who had suffered from type 1 diabetes since his teens dealt poorly with his illness and hid a grim reality.  

According to reports, Karim Ouellet was found unconscious on October 31 2021 and admitted to the emergency room with “severe hypoglycemia and in a state of intoxication”. However, he signed a refusal of treatment and left the same day.   

In his studio a bag of cocaine was found near him, but it was impossible to know if he had consumed it because of the state of the body. 

On the other hand, the presence of methamphetamine was found in the blood samples. 

“Mr. Ouellet died of diabetic ketoacidosis in the context of methamphetamine consumption,” concludes the coroner. 

“Diabetic ketoacidosis, if left untreated, leads to electrolyte imbalance and possibly in a coma which leads to death in a few hours”, explains the coroner.

Hospitalized during the pandemic

The coroner analyzed the 37-year-old singer's medical file from the Institut universitaire en santé maladie de Québec to establish that he was insulin-dependent coupled with a substance use disorder (SUD).  < /p>

The singer had been hospitalized at the age of 17 because he refused to take his insulin. In 2019, he quickly developed a cocaine addiction.  

His condition obviously deteriorated from May 2020 when he was hospitalized twice, always for a diabetic ketoacidosis. “He was never able to explain to the doctor the reasons why he stopped taking care of his diabetes,” the coroner said.  

Toxic psychosis probable

Karim Ouellet had indicated that he had not taken his insulin since March 2020, “however the reality is much darker”, indicates the coroner. According to his investigation, he had been off insulin for nearly a year. 

A diagnosis of severe behavioral disorders related to substance use in addition to unbalanced diabetes and probable toxic psychosis have been observed in humans.