Study of glucose levels in newborn with reference to hypoglycemia

ABSTRACT

Background: Hypoglycemia is one of the common metabolic problems in neonatal medicine. Early diagnosis and treatment of neonatal' hypoglycemia is important as many studies found that, hypoglycaemic episodes in neonates lead to neurodevelopmental and physical growth deficits. In this study, blood glucose levels at different time points were assessed and the influence of maternal blood glucose, mode of delivery, gestational age on neonatal blood glucose levels were studied.Methods: Blood glucose levels were low at 0 and 6th hour and maximum at 24th hour. The blood glucose levels ranged from 27 mg/dl to 140 mg/dl. Neonates with high maternal blood glucose were hypoglycaemic, showing a negative correlation.Results: The mean blood glucose levels were low in pre-term and post term babies compared to term and the range was wide in pre-term and term babies compared to post-term. The mean blood glucose levels were high and range was wide in babies delivered vaginally at all the time points compared to the babies delivered by LSCS. 17% babies were hypoglycaemic at birth but none of them had signs. The major signs noted were jitteriness (88%), high cry (88%), lethargy (55%), tremors (55%), limpness (22%), apathy (22%), weak cry (11%) and poor feeding (11%).Conclusions: 0 and 6th hour are the vulnerable time points for hypoglycaemia. Neonates with high maternal blood glucose, pre-term, post-term and babies delivered by LSCS were more prone for hypoglycaemia requiring blood glucose monitoring. There is a wide variation in signs of hypoglycaemia and babies showing signs require monitoring.