Hypoglycemia in Children

Recent surveys show that there is a rise in cases of hypoglycemia in children. If your child is hypoglycemic, you need to know more about hypoglycemia and how you can treat it.

Hypoglycemia is the condition where the blood sugar level of a person is too low. It is also called as low blood glucose or low blood sugar. As you know, glucose is the main source of energy for our body which is found in food. After you have food, the glucose is absorbed into the bloodstream and is carried to the body’s cells. The cells use glucose for energy with the help of insulin, a hormone that is made by the pancreas. If a person takes in more glucose than the body requires at the time, the body stores the extra glucose in the liver and muscles in the form of glycogen. When blood glucose begins to fall, the liver breaks down glycogen and releases glucose into the bloodstream. Blood glucose will then rise toward a normal glucose level. People with hypoglycemia have an impaired response, whereby the glucose levels do not return to the normal range and stay low. Hypoglycemia in children is most common for the children with type 1 diabetes. It is very important to know the cause and detect the hypoglycemia symptoms in children to effectively treat it.

Causes of Hypoglycemia in Children

The normal range of blood glucose levels in children is approximately 70 to 150 mg/dl. Anything below this level is considered to be hypoglycemia. The causes of low blood sugar in children with diabetes are as follows:

a meal that is missed

a delayed lunch or dinner

too little food eaten for a long time

too much medication

Other causes of hypoglycemia in children who do not have diabetes are too much exercise without eating food, fasting and alcohol abuse.

Symptoms of Hypoglycemia in Children

The signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia in children are as follows:

Fast heart rate

Dizziness

Shakiness

Sweating

Pale skin

Poor coordination

Slurred speech

Confusion

Convulsions

Unconsciousness

Nausea

Extreme hunger

Headache

Tingling in hands and feet

As the symptoms of hypoglycemia in children resemble some other medical problems, therefore, it is very difficult to detect it.

Blood tests are generally required to find out whether the child is suffering from hypoglycemia or not. For those children with diabetes, hypoglycemia is usually a complication of diabetes or an insulin reaction. For non diabetic children, hypoglycemia can only be detected through blood tests.

Treating Hypoglycemia in Children

Hypoglycemia in children can be treated based on whether the child is diabetic or not. For those children who are diabetic and are hypoglycemic, the treatment involves maintaining an ideal blood sugar level. The parents and the child have to be taught to identify the symptoms of hypoglycemia and treat the conditions swiftly as instructed by the doctor. To treat hypoglycemia in children with diabetes, the child should be immediately fed something that has sugar in it like orange juice, cake frosting or hard candy. You can even make your child eat a tablespoon of granulated sugar or honey. For more severe cases of hypoglycemia in children, which results in seizures or loss of consciousness, ingesting sugar by mouth might be difficult or even dangerous. In such a situation, a glucagon injection might have to be given.

Hypoglycemia in children who are not diabetic can be treated by, avoiding foods that are high in carbohydrates, eating five to six small meals all through the day, having frequent healthy snacks, regular exercise and eating a balanced diet. Reactive hypoglycemia is a term that describes recurrent episodes of hypoglycemia that occurs after having a high carbohydrate meal. Reactive hypoglycemia in children is seen in around six percent of highly gifted children. Children who have a IQ over 160 and are very active and lean, use up all available glucose quickly and crash out mid morning or afternoon.

Hypoglycemia in children for both diabetics as well as non diabetics, can be prevented by eating meals at regular meals, not skipping meals and medication and by exercising regularly. If you find that your child is having hypoglycemia, then it is best to visit a doctor to discuss how to prevent it in future.