Blood glucose levels in healthy, term, appropriate for gestational age, exclusively breastfed infants
ABSTRACT: This study aimed to
determine blood glucose levels of healthy, term, appropriate for gestational
age (AGA), exclusively breastfed infants at the age of 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72
hours of life, and to investigate the incidence of hypoglycemia in those
infants.
Methods All healthy, term, AGA infants born in Cipto Mangunkusumo General
Hospital, Jakarta, who were exclusively breastfed during the recruitment period
of December 2003 until February 2004, were included in this study. These
infants were subjected to blood glucose level determination at the age of 6,
12, 24, 48, or 72 hours of life, and the clinical signs of hypoglycemia were
monitored.
Results Two hundred and fifteen blood samples taken from 137 newborns
were studied. There was no incidence of hypoglycemia observed, whether
symptomatic or asymptomatic. The range of blood glucose levels was between 41
mg/dl and 115 mg/dl. The means and the standard deviations (SD) of the blood
glucose levels of the 6-, 12-, 24-, 48- and 72-hour old infants were 59.7
(11.98) mg/dl, 64.1 (13.51) mg/dl, 65.9 (14.42) mg/dl, 67.0 (14.95) mg/dl, and
78.6 (16.51) mg/dl, respectively.
Conclusions The current concern for hypoglycemia in the population of
healthy, term, AGA, exclusively breastfed infants during the first few days of
life was not proven to exist. Therefore, there is no reason to resort to
prelacteal feeding in such infants.
Keywords: blood glucose level,
hypoglycemia, healthy, term, appropriate for gestational age, exclusively
breastfed
Author: Lineus Hewis, MD;
Rulina Suradi, MD; Taralan Tambunan, MD
Journal Code: jpkedokterangg050054