October 22, 2000
Hypoglycemia
Question from New Delhi, India, USA:
My six month old son son was born prematurely. He was underweight (1.75 kg). He could not get his food properly for two to three days and started to sink. So, the doctors put him on drip and kept him in the incubator. He had hypoglycemia and jaundice (he was treated with phototherapy for this). I understand that hypoglycemia affects the development of the child. At present, he is growing like a normal child. Up to what age can hypoglycemia affect the development of my child? What preventive measures we should take to make him grow normally?
Answer:
Hypoglycaemia is most dangerous when unrecognised and untreated. Since your son was receiving good care and was dripped, it is unlikely that he has come to any harm. It is important that any baby born prematurely has developmental checks until they reach school age. I am pleased to hear that your son is growing and developing normally at the moment, and this is likely to continue.
KJR
