ESPE Abstracts

Timely recognition and treatment of neonatal hypoglycemia are important because of the potential for adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. One of the major problems in infants born following a pregnancy complicated by diabetes is hypoglycemia. In addition, hypoglycemia occurs in infants of non-diabetic mothers. We conducted a retrospective cohort study including all infants who had hypoglycemia during the first day of life, between 1-9-2017 and 31-8-2020. We studied the relation between hypoglycemia and birth weight in those born to GDM mothers (IDM) in comparison with those born to non-diabetic mothers (NIDM). Routine screening of neonatal blood glucose levels was performed at 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 h after birth. Main outcome measures were hypoglycemia as a blood glucose level of <2.6 mmol/L

Aim: To assess the risk of neonatal hypoglycemia in relation to birth weight in IDM and NIDM infants.

Results: The total number of newborns who had hypoglycemia during the 3 years of study was 2599, 1349 males, and 1250 females. The mean duration of their hospitalization = 8.45 days for all causes. 1673 were IDM, 866 males, 807 females. They were born to mothers with GDM treated either with insulin or without insulin. In IDM (n = 1673), most of the hypoglycemia (79.4%) was detected in those with a birth weight > 2500 g compared to those with lower birth weight (<2500 g (20.6%). In NIDM neonates (n = 926) hypoglycemia occurred more frequently in infants > 2000 g (90 %) compared to those with birth weight <2000 g.

Conclusion: Increasing birth weight > 2500 g in IDM significantly increases the risk of neonatal hypoglycemia compared to NIDM.