April 19, 2001
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from Redlands, California, USA:
My five year old has severe mood swings and has had a few problems at school with what the teacher says are similar to seizures, during which he “spaces out” and gets pale and clammy. He underwent blood sugar testing, and they found his blood sugar doesn’t drop too low, but drops very rapidly (from over 100 to 63 mg/dl [5.5 to 3.5 mmol/L] in an hour). His doctor said to put him on a high protein diet, which seems to help, but he still has times when he “crashes” (especially when he is sick), and I’m told “it’s just his blood sugar fluctuating”. This has become very frustrating for my mother and me because we don’t know how to keep him level and handle the behavior changes. We feel the doctor isn’t really helpful. Is there a term for this? Where can I find tips and information for managing it?
Answer:
I doubt that your son’s symptoms are related to his blood sugars. A drop in blood sugar from 100 to 63 mg/dl [5.5 to 3.5 mmol/L] over an hour is not an abnormal finding and should have no bearing on a child’s disposition. If there is no evidence of low blood sugar, then there is no evidence that his symptoms can be attributed to “crashing” or changes in his blood sugar.
There are other neurological conditions such as petit mal seizures that can cause a child to briefly “space out”. I would suggest reviewing this with your son’s pediatrician and asking him if an evaluation by a pediatric neurologist would be helpful.
MSB
