Hypoglycemia (peds)

Background

Etiology

• Inadequate oral intake
• Excess insulin
  • Newborns of diabetic mothers
• Deficient hyperglycemic hormones (GH or adrenal hormone deficiency)
• Fatty acid oxidation or carbohydrate metabolism disorders
• Prematurity (inadequate glycogen stores)
• Sepsis
• Etoh exposure (children have low glycogen stores)

Clinical Features

• Most common features: vomiting, altered mental status, poor feeding
  • May also see lethargy, apnea, seizure

Differential Diagnosis

• Ingestions (e.g. ETOH)
• Metabolic disease^
• Sepsis

Evaluation

• Blood glucose <45 in symptomatic neonate
• Blood glucose <35 in asymptomatic neonate

Work-Up

• Blood glucose level
• Urinalysis
  • If ketones: adrenal or GH deficiency, inborn errors of metabolism
  • If no ketones: Hyperinsulinemia, fatty acid oxidation defects

Management

See critical care quick reference for doses by weight

• Glucose
  • Bolus D10W 2mL/kg; then infuse D10W at 0.06-0.08mL/kg/min
• Glucagon
  • Used for persistent hypoglycemia despite glucose administration
  • Will not work with etoh exposure as glycogen stores are already low
  • 0.03mg/kg IM/IV

Pediatric Hypoglycemia Dextrose Chart

Category	Age	Glucose	Treatment	Initial IV Bolus	Maintenance Dose
Neonatal	<2mo	<40	D10W	2.5-5 mL/kg	6 mL/kg/h
Pediatric	2mo-8yrs	<60	D25W	2 mL/kg	D10W: 6 mL/kg/h for first 10 kg + 3 mL/kg/h for 11–20 kg + 1.5 mL/kg/h for each additional kg >20 kg
Adult	>8yrs	<70	D50W	50mL (1 amp) OR 1 mL/kg

Recheck 5 minutes after dose and repeat dose if low.

Consider glucagon IM/SQ if IV access is not readily available

See Also

• Hypoglycemia
• Neonatal hypoglycemia

References

Authors

Ross Donaldson