March 29, 2001
Hypoglycemia
Question from Seattle, Washington, USA:
My six year old cannot make it through school without an extra snack. She becomes pale, lethargic, moody and experiences headaches sometimes accompanied by vomiting if she misses her two afternoon snacks. Recently, she was admitted to the hospital with a blood glucose of 21 mg/dl [1.2 mmol/L] which the pediatrician believes was caused by pneumonia. I am uneasy with that assumption. Is there cause for concern?
Answer:
I can’t tell by your question, but if your daughter has diabetes, she needs aggressive work to change her insulin dosing and food requirements to avoid frequent hypoglycemia.
If your daughter does not have diabetes, I would work diligently with your pediatrician and any specialists that he may require until a cause for her hypoglycemia has been identified. I’m not convinced that pneumonia can cause a blood sugar of 21 mg/dl [1.2 mmol/L].
MSB