August 27, 1999
Hypoglycemia
Question from San Francisco California, USA:
Our 3 year old son has had type 1 since he was 18 months. He used to show signs of hypo (cranky, crying, asking for food) when his blood sugar was below 60. Lately he has been behaving normally between 30 and 40. He would just look a little tired. it has happened a couple times in the past few months and our doctor seems worried.
Answer:
Toddlers are generally poor at telling an adult when they are hypo so we rely on being able to spot differences in behaviour and appearance. If your son has been very well controlled or had a lot of hypos then he may be feeling them less than before. This is called hypoglycemia unawareness and obviously it is a little bit dangerous because a bad hypo is more likely to just “sneak up.” Usually, relaxing blood sugar control a bit for around 3 months is enough to restore normal awareness. You should discuss your concerns with your team.
KJR
