Hypoglycemia is an affliction common among diabetic people, wherein blood sugar levels have fallen too low to sustain the body’s normal daily activities, and results in adverse behavior or reaction characterized by shaking, anxiety attacks, dizziness, and other negative effects relating to the body’s digestive and circulatory systems. The usual cases usually come from inappropriate dosages of medication and improper selection or intake of foods.
Despite its origins in diabetic adults, hypoglycemia can also occur with infants, dubbed as Neonatal Hypoglycemia. It has recently been found that infants are very prone to hypoglycemia especially if feeding is delayed for as little as three to six hours after birth. It has been estimated that almost ten percent of normal infants encounter difficulties in maintaining plasma glucose above 30 mg per deciliter (1.7 mmol per liter). With prematurely born infants or those who were born too small or too large for gestational stage, the risks of neonatal hypoglycemia are substantially higher.
Due to the fact that low blood glucose levels are very common with infants, experts are still trying to adjust the standards in order to lower the amount of glucose levels present in order to justify a neonatal hypoglycemia diagnosis. However, since infants are more prone to long term damage particularly in the brain, others have posed that lowering the standards will be hazardous in the long run. Currently, maintaining blood glucose levels of above sixty mg per deciliter should be the same in infants as well as in older children.
Regarding the cause of hypoglycemia in infants, it has been said that the main cause has been the developmental immaturity of two out of the three mechanisms present in the liver that helps protect against hypoglycemia during fasting. These mechanisms are called the gluconeogenesis and ketogenesis. The third mechanism, hepatic glycogenolysis, tends to be affected by peripartum stress resulting in the whole defensive system failing entirely and hypoglycemia developing in the infant if not fed immediately.
In addition to hypoglycemia resulting from fasting or inability to feed the infant in time, attacks can also develop if the mothers of the newborn have poorly controlled diabetes mellitus, resulting in hereditary or acquired form of hypoglycemia. These cases are sometimes treated successfully with diazoxide, but the process is extremely risky so it is important to consult a qualified physician first.
Neonatal hypoglycemia is very difficult to diagnose because of the infants’ inability to provide information through speaking, in this cases, it has become a standard practice for medical establishments to measure blood glucose levels after birth to ensure that the child is in no danger of hypoglycemia, among other afflictions.
Most cases of hypoglycemia in infants will resolve on its own within one to two days after birth. There is a second form that may last for several weeks that usually appear in infants born with birth asphyxia or those who are too small for gestational age. Specific diagnoses and disease-specific treatments are important for the handling neonatal cases of hypoglycemia, so consultations with a qualified physician should be conducted for infants with signs of hypoglycemia.
Quick Tip #1
Treatment of hypoglycemia is an ongoing process, remember to have a good diet with evenly spaced out meals every 2-3 hours apart. Also exercising can really help in keeping this condition under check.
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Quick Tip #2
A lot of symptoms of low blood sugar have common signs as other diseases. If you exeperience any of the hypoglycemia symptoms, do consult your doctor for treatment.
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