2 YEAR OLD WITH LOW BLOOD SUGAR WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

QUESTION: My two year old son has low blood sugar of 49. The reason he had some testing done is because he can't get past the 3% mark on his growth chart for the past 8 months.

What does this mean that his blood sugar level is so low?

ANSWER: Hi there,

I understand your concern. The normal blood glucose level of a 2-years-old child is between 100 and up to 180 mg/dl, and this is because they have a very fast metabolism.

An increased metabolism rate and growth speed require using the glucose found in food very fast. In case the child is not having regular meals, thiw will lead to low blood glucose level.

Indeed, a blood glucose level of 49 mg/dl is considered low taking into account the fact that he is not able to pass the 3% mark.

If this is his case, then, we should consider birth defects in the glucose metabolism pathways or hormonal changes like increased insulin secretion or hypopituitarism.

Although those conditions are very rare, we should look for other symptoms.

If I was his caring doctor will ask to consult with endocrinologist specialized children (pediatric endocrinologist).

Another thing to consider is not eating regular meals. So in purpose to exclude this option, you have to start giving food or milk to your child according to the meal plan provided by your pediatrician.

However, if you don’t have such thing (a meal plan), it would be better for you to talk with your pediatrician about it.

Regarding your last question - you have to know that glucose is the major source of energy. When there is no glucose, there is no energy for the proper function of the cells.

Besides this, when the cell are not functioning well, the body of your child is not able to grow. So, the cause of his inability to grow is the low blood glucose level.

Discuss this with his caring doctor, and try to feed him adequately according to the meal plan set by his pediatrian as per his age requirements.

Hope it helped!

Dr.Alba