For two years, I have suspected that my eight-year-old son has hypoglycemia. His moods have been very erratic and seem to be getting worse. He gets sweaty and white in the face and gets emotional beyond control. I give him some juice, then he will calm down, however, afterwards he gets very hyper. I try to control his diet, but very often I cannot get him to eat at all. I checked his blood sugar level this morning after he had a complete meltdown. His blood sugar level was 54 mg/dl [3.0 mmol/L]. Is this blood sugar level dangerously low? I don’t know what to do.

It could be hypoglycemia. The definition includes symptoms and simultaneously documenting blood sugar levels less than 60 mg/dl [3.3 mmol/L]. Usually, dietary treatment works by avoiding simple carbohydrates and always ensuring that the food that is eaten includes protein and fat every three hours. However, it will be important to get a formal pediatric endocrinology consultation to make sure that here are no other problems (insulin excess states, growth hormone deficiency, adrenal insufficiency, celiac disease, thyroid problems, pituitary problems, etc.). You should discuss this with your primary care provider and arrange for an appropriate consultation to review the home blood sugar data you have obtained already.

SB