Paediatric Emergency Medicine: Hypoglycaemia in Children

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Sunday 26 January 2014

Hypoglycaemia in Children

As many of us treating children are first and foremost adult physicians, I suspect that hypoglycaemia in children is over treated. There are standard guidelines in EPLS and APLS - but these are generally associated with cardiac arrest rather than in isolation. Hospitals have produced their own guidelines, many of which are freely available on the intranet.

Hypoglycaemia = BM <2.6mmol/L

Signs and Symptoms
Autonomic features (warning signs):
    sweating, hunger, tingling around the mouth
    tremor, tachycardia, pallor, palpitations and anxiety.
    These warning signs may be lost in patients with repeated or prolonged hypoglycaemia.

Neurological features:
    Lethargy, tiredness, change in behaviour
    Headache, visual disturbance, slurred speech, dizziness.
    Altered level of conscious, coma, convulsions.

Causes of Hypoglycaemia
High sugar requirement
Excess insulin
Inborn errors of metabolism
Early manifestation of other serious disorders (sepsis, congenital heart disease, inter - cranial event).
Gastroenteritis - (rare in children <5 so shouldn't be routinely analyzed at triage)
Ketotic hypoglycaemia - toddlers with lethargy or seizure following a prolonged fast. May be unresponsive in the morning.

Treatment
Bloods for analysis
Oral carbohydrate challenge - unless child too unwell for this. The BNF is fantastic at recommended non pharmacological treatments first. Don't give dextrogel/ glucogel - coke, lucozade, sugar cubes, jelly babies work a lot better. Most diabetics I know would do anything NOT to have glucogel as it tastes so disgusting! Even the BNF doesn't advise it!

Bolus of IV glucose:
      EPLS dose is 5-10ml/kg 10% dextrose and 2.5ml/kg in the newborn.
      APLS has changed to 2ml/kg.
If no IV access available, give IM glucagon   0.5mg < 8 years, 1mg >8 years
IV infusion of 10% dextrose at 6-8mg/kg/min) to maintain sugar >4mmol/L

Critical Blood samples

Should only be taken during hypoglycaemia (BSL <2.6mmol/l)

Glucose and lactate: fluoride oxalate tube
Insulin, C-peptide, cortisol, growth hormone: plain tube on ice
Ammonia: heparinized tube on ice
Ketones and free fatty acids: fluoride oxalate (BLF) tube (1ml*)
(Do also bedside test ketones)
Amino acids, electrolytes: heparinised
Acid-base: capillary sample
Blood drops onto a Guthrie test card (for acyl-carnitine profile)
Others if required e.g. Toxicology studies (Salicylates, ethanol, sulfonylurea )
Urine for ketones, glucose, reducing substances, amino acids, organic acids and maybe toxicology.