Fasting hypoglycemia is common during maintenance therapy for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Nineteen of 35 children (54%) with acute lymphoblastic leukemia receiving maintenance therapy consisting of daily oral 6-mercaptopurine and weekly oral methotrexate developed hypoglycemia (blood glucose level <2.7 mmol/L [50 mg/dL] or <2.9 mmol/L [54 mg/dL] with symptoms) during 16 hours of overnight fasting. In 15 of 15 re-studied children, fasting tolerance had improved, and in 67% (10/15), it had become normal a few months after cessation of therapy.
Department of Pediatrics, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland.
P
P
Halonen
M K
MK
Salo
A
A
Mäkipernaa
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005215:Fasting; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007003:Hypoglycemia / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D015122:Mercaptopurine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000008:administration & dosage; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012307:Risk Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
D015122:Mercaptopurine; D008727:Methotrexate