title: Screening of blood glucose levels in healthy neonates.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study aimed to screen the blood glucose levels in healthy term and near-term neonates, and to assess the influence of mode of delivery, birth weight and gestational age on blood glucose levels.
  
  
  METHODS
  The blood glucose concentrations of 1,540 healthy term and near-term neonates in the first hour of life were retrospectively evaluated from the clinical charts. Glucose levels were estimated from heel prick capillary samples. The glucose concentration was correlated with the mode of delivery, birth weight and gestational age.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Vaginally delivered neonates had higher glucose levels. The glucose concentrations were not significantly different between infants in the different birth weight groups. However, glucose concentration was significantly correlated with gestational age, and the levels were observed to rise with increasing gestational age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Screening asymptomatic, healthy term and near-term neonates for hypoglycaemia in the first hour following birth is unnecessary. Glucose strips and glucose meters are useful only as screening devices for neonatal hypoglycaemia, and a screening cut-off value must be established.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, American Hospital, Güzelbahce Sokak, Istanbul, Turkey. sinanmahir@gmail.com
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Kayıran
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gürakan
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001724:Birth Weight; D001786:Blood Glucose; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007003:Hypoglycemia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D007229:Infant Welfare; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D015997:Neonatal Screening / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose