N. Shehadeh et al., HIGH-INCIDENCE OF HYPOGLYCEMIC EPISODES WITH NEUROLOGIC MANIFESTATIONS IN CHILDREN WITH INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES-MELLITUS, Journal of pediatric endocrinology & metabolism, 11, 1998, pp. 183-187
Hypoglycemia is a serious frequent complication of insulin therapy in
type 1 diabetes, Patients and Methods: We surveyed 139 IDDM patients,
Results: Forty-four patients (32%) reported at least one severe hypogl
ycemic episode, All patients with severe hypoglycemia experienced neur
ological manifestations. Symptoms included confusion and abnormal beha
vior, convulsions, coma, transient hemiparesis and one case of permane
nt hemiparesis. Most episodes occurred at night or during morning hour
s. 44% of episodes were related to delayed meal or snack, 11% to exces
s insulin administration and 13% to extra physical activity. HbA(1c) w
as significantly lower in patients with severe hypoglycemia compared w
ith diabetic controls (7.33+/-1.09% and 9.45+/-4.32%, respectively).