Hypoglycemia Incidence in Newborns Identified to Be at Risk, Data from a Tertiary Care Hospital in Turkey

Neonatal hypoglycemia (NH) is one of the most prevalent neonatal problems. We aimed to describe frequency and patterns of NH in neonates at risk of hypoglycemia.

In this single-center retrospective descriptive cross-sectional study, the incidence of hypoglycemia in newborns at risk of NH born at Mersin University Hospital between Jan 2017 and Jan 2023, was investigated. The blood glucose level being lower than 40 mg/dL was defined as NH.

Overall, 506 neonates at risk of hypoglycemia were included: 53 SGA infants (10.5%), 127 LGA infants (25.1%), 212 infants of diabetic mothers (41.9%), and 230 late preterm infants (45.5%). Hypoglycemia developed in 113 out of 506 at-risk newborns (22.3%). Symptomatic hypoglycemia developed in nine infants (1.8%), while asymptomatic hypoglycemia developed in 104 infants (20.5%). Recurrent hypoglycemia incidence was 4.2%. Severe hypoglycemia developed in 13 infants (2.6%). All symptomatic hypoglycemic infants and 8 asymptomatic hypoglycemic infants requiring IV glucose, 17 infants (17/506, 3.4%), were hospitalized in the NICU. The targeted blood glucose level was reached in 1 hour at the latest in all hypoglycemic infants.

With the algorithm applied, we did not see recurrent hypoglycemia after the first day of life in risky newborns, and we reached the targeted glucose values in hypoglycemic newborns within the desired period.