Profile of Clinical and Sub Clinical Hypoglycaemia in Term (Small for Gestational Age) Babies and its Correlation with Cord Blood Insulin

Early detection of hypoglycaemia in infants at risk is of utmost value to prevent the sequelae arising from neonatal hypoglycaemia. This is a cohort study and includes infants born at term (gestational age between 37 weeks and 42 weeks) with birth weight of below 10th percentile in Small for Gestational Age (SGA) category, babies who are exclusively breast fed. This study highlights that 'small for gestational age' infants are at greater risk of developing hypoglycaemia especially in first 24 h of life. In more than half of the cases there were no symptoms even though the blood glucose levels showed hypoglycaemia. Irrespective of the symptomatic and asymptomatic, newborns should be screened for blood glucose level within 72 hours which can prevent hypoglycaemia which in turn can prevent tissue damage.