Neonatal hypoglycemia: prevalence and clinical manifestations in tehran children's hospital

ABSTRACT

To measure the prevalence of hypoglycemia among newborn infants in Children Hospital using a standard laboratory glucose method and to evaluate the evidence of clinical manifestations of hypoglycemia, designing appropriate strategies for prevention and treatment. The study population consisted of 673 neonates in Tehran Children's Hospital and was conducted between June 2004 and March 2005. The incidence of neonatal hypoglycemia in the present study group was 15.15% live births. The clinical features which remained significantly associated with the hypoglycemic neonates were refusal of feeding [45%], hyporeflexia [36.2%], irritability [30%], cyanosis [28.4%], tackypnea [24.5%], seizure [16.6%], weak cry [15.8], apneic spels [9.8%], pallor [1.9%], cardiac arrest [9.1%] and sweating [1%]. Hypoglycemia does occur frequently in newborn infants and requires careful monitoring and therapy of serum glucose