Description
Contributor: Taylor Lynch, MD
Educational Pearls:
When it comes to hypoglycemia, the age dictates possible causes
Neonate:
Hormonal deficiency
Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (21-hydroxylase deficiency, 11β-hydroxylase deficiency)
Primary or Secondary Adrenal Insufficiency leading to cortisol deficiency
Hypopituitarism
Inborn errors of metabolism
Systemic infection (Under 30 days old should trigger a full infectious workup)
Toddler
Accidental ingestions
Sulfonylureas such as glipizide or glyburide
Older children
Addison’s Disease (Hypocortisolism)
Accidential or intentional ingestions
Exogenous insulin
How is it diagnosed?
Child or infant
Glucose Newborn
Glucose Treatment
Awake: oral glucose
Altered: IV glucose
Rule of 50’s. The dose you give times the concentration should equal 50
Neonate to 2 months get 5 mg/kg of D10W (5*10=50)
2 months to 8 years old get 2 mg/kg of D25W (2*25=50)
Over 8 gets 1 mg/kg of D50W (1*50=50)
Bonus fact: Rough estimate of weight for a child is 2*patients age plus 8
Recheck sugar every 15 minutes
If they stay hypoglycemic give another bolus and consider starting a drip at 1.5 maintenance dose of D10NS.
If you don’t have an IV you can consider glucagon at 0.03 mg/kg IM, although you might be better off trying glucose gel buccally.
If standard therapy still fails you can give hydrocortisone
25 mg IV for neonates and infants
50 mg IV for toddlers and smaller school aged children
100 mg for anyone older than that
How do you test for exogenous insulin?
Check a c-peptide which would be low if a patient is taking exogenous insulin
References
Lang, T. F., & Hussain, K. (2014). Pediatric hypoglycemia. Advances in clinical chemistry, 63, 211–245. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-800094-6.00006-6
Lee, S. C., Baranowski, E. S., Sakremath, R., Saraff, V., & Mohamed, Z. (2023). Hypoglycaemia in adrenal insufficiency. Frontiers in endocrinology, 14, 1198519. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2023.1198519
Thompson-Branch, A., & Havranek, T. (2017). Neonatal Hypoglycemia. Pediatrics in review, 38(4), 147–157. https://doi.org/10.1542/pir.2016-0063
Summarized by Jeffrey Olson, MS3 | Edited by Meg Joyce, MS1 & Jorge Chalit, OMS3
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