Study of incidence. risk factors and clinical profile of neonatal hypoglycemia in a tertiary care hospital

Abstract

Background: The clinical manifestations of hypoglycemia are non-specific. Materials and Methods: This prospective observational study was done over a period of 6 months. All babies admitted to NICU with whole blood sugar levels <40 mg/dl were subjected to detailed history, thorough clinical examination and observation of signs and symptoms. Results: Neonatal hypoglycemia constituted about 11.7% among which 56% were preterm ,56% were outborn. More number of male babies (67%) had hypoglycemia with male to female ratio of 2:1. Asymptomatic hypoglycemia was noticed in 56%. The major clinical manifestations were jitteriness(57.9%) followed by lethargy(42.1%), convulsions(26.3%) and apnoeic spells(15.8%). We noticed PIH as the most significant maternal risk factor (37.2%) followed by APH(16.4%). We found prematurity the most common neonatal risk factor accounting for 55.8% cases. Persistent hypoglycemia was noted in 6.9% cases. Conclusion: Proper monitoring of blood glucose levels should be done to plan early treatment and prevent neurological damage.