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[Impact of hypoglycemic episodes on nerves conduction and auditory and visual evoked potentials in children with type

Marta Wysocka-Mincewicz1, Hanna Trippenbach-Dulska, Barbara Emeryk-Szajewska

  • 1Klinika Pediatrii Centrum Zdrowia Dziecka w Warszawie. marta.wysocka@film-tv.pl

Pediatric Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism
|May 12, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Hypoglycemia in children with type 1 diabetes can damage peripheral nerves and the auditory pathway. Frequent moderate or severe low blood sugar episodes pose significant risks to nervous system function.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Endocrinology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Hypoglycemia, an acute energy disturbance, primarily affects the central nervous system.
  • The impact of hypoglycemia on peripheral nervous function, hearing, and visual pathways requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the influence of moderate and severe hypoglycemic episodes on peripheral nerve function, and the auditory and visual pathways in children with type 1 diabetes.

Main Methods:

  • Nerve conduction studies, visual evoked potentials (VEP), and auditory brainstem responses (ABR) were performed on 97 children with type 1 diabetes.
  • Hypoglycemic episodes were categorized as moderate (requiring assistance, no loss of consciousness) or severe (with loss of consciousness/convulsions).
  • Statistical analysis used ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis tests.

Main Results:

  • Children with a history of hypoglycemia showed significant delays in sural nerve conduction parameters and tibial nerve motor potential amplitude.
  • Auditory brainstem responses revealed significantly prolonged wave III latency and I-III interval in subgroups with hypoglycemia.
  • No significant differences were detected in visual evoked potential parameters.

Conclusions:

  • Hypoglycemic episodes significantly impact sural nerve function, tibial nerve motor amplitude, and auditory pathway function (ABR wave III and interval I-III).
  • Frequent moderate hypoglycemic episodes are identified as strong risk factors for peripheral and central nervous system damage.
  • The neurological impact of frequent moderate hypoglycemia is comparable to that of multiple severe hypoglycemic events.
Abstract

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