Hypoglycaemia in infancy and childhood

Abstract

Hypoglycaemia is relatively frequent in childhood, particularly during the neonatal period, at an age when the brain is still in the stage of new cell formation and so particularly vulnerable to permanent damage. Babies of diabetic mothers and those who show signs of intrauterine malnutrition are particularly at risk during the neonatal period, and the latter are still at risk during later infancy, when other factors such as leucine sensitivity, or the effects of ketonaemia, may also begin to play a part. Immediate treatment is best given in the form of intravenous glucose; long-term treatment, if indicated, may involve modification of the diet, administration of ACTH, and pancreatectomy as a last resort.