November 8, 2003
Hypoglycemia
Question from Interlochen, Michigan, USA:
My five year old son, who has had diabetes for two and a half years, just had his first seizure. He had been ill with a virus that would cause him to cough hard enough to throw up on occasion. The specialist was able to see him the same day as the seizure and didn’t really have a answer as to why, but suspected the virus had played a part in it. We don’t know what his blood sugar reading was prior to the glucagon injection, but within 7-10 minutes afterward, it was at 84 mg/dl [4.7 mmol/L], and by the time he arrived at the ER, it was up to 222 mg/dl [12.3 mmol/L]. Should we be watching for any other signs? Is it this more likely to happen now that he has had one? Is there reason to look at possible kidney problems and a suspect in this seizure?
Answer:
It’s unlikely there any association between kidney problems and having a hypoglycemic seizure. If the blood glucose was below 100 mg/dl [5.6 mmol/L] immediately after the seizure and before the major effects of the glucagon have been realized, it is likely (although not proven) that there was hypoglycemia as a culprit to explain the seizure. This can happen with illness or whenever there is a mismatch with insulin, activity, and food. In older teens and adults, alcohol is often a contributing factor as well.
SB
