My 6 year old son has had Type 1 diabetes 4 1/2 years now. He is having seizures during the night and his levels are 3.6/3.8 [65-68 mg/dl]. He gets paralysis down the right side of his body. Can these seizures affect his brain function as he is having problems at school?

It is unlikely that your son will suffer permanent harm but it is important to try to stop these seizures happening. This may be easier said than done but your diabetes team will have to consider carefully his insulin regimen, food before bed, etc. On the morning after such an event it is entirely possible that he won’t feel well and will not perform well at school. It’s also possible that he’s having undetected hypoglycaemic episodes while he’s at school and so it may be worth arranging for him to check some levels during the day.

KJR
Additional comments from Dr. Bill Quick:

This situation might well be clarified by monitoring sugar levels continuously for several days and nights to try to sort out what’s happening in more detail. See The Continuous Glucose Monitoring System
WWQ

[Editor’s comment: See also The Continuous Glucose Monitoring System: “What you don’t know can hurt you.”
JSH]