Study of Asymptomatic Hypoglycemia in Full Term Exclusively Breastfed Neonates in First 48 Hours of Life.
BACKGROUND
Hypoglycemia is a common metabolic problem in the neonatal period especially in the presence of settings like prematurity, small for gestational age babies and sepsis. Episodes of asymptomatic hypoglycemia may occur in term neonates without apparent risk factors.


OBJECTIVE
This study was conducted to estimate the incidence of hypoglycemia in healthy, intramural, singleton full term neonates and to correlate the above incidence with maternal factors like parity, mode of delivery and time of initiation of breast feeding after birth.


METHODS
A hospital based, prospective longitudinal study involving healthy, term, asymptomatic neonates. Blood glucose values were measured at 1, 6, 24 and 48 hours of life.


RESULTS
The overall incidence of hypoglycemia was 10 % in asymptomatic, healthy term newborns. All the hypoglycemic episodes occurred in the first 24 hours of life. 23.07% of neonates born to primiparous mothers had hypoglycemia, against 5.4% neonates born to multiparous mothers (p<0.05). There was a higher recording of hypoglycemia when breast feeding was initiated > 1 hour after delivery (16.67%) than when breast feeding was initiated within one hour of delivery (7.89%).


CONCLUSIONS
Asymptomatic hypoglycemia occurred in about 10% of healthy, full term neonates; primiparity and delayed initiation of breast feeding > 1 hour are noted as additional risk factors.
Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, BGS GIMS , Bangalore, India .
Purnima
P
Samayam
Post Graduate, Department of Pediatrics, MVJMC and RH , Hoskote, India .
Pradeep Krishna
PK
Ranganathan
Post Graduate, Department of Pediatrics, MVJMC and RH , Hoskote, India .
Usha Deepthi
UD
Kotari
Head of Department, Pediatrics, MVJMC and RH , Hoskote, India .
Ravichander
R
Balasundaram
Healthy; Metabolic problem; Newborns; Term