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Blunted counterregulatory hormone responses to hypoglycemia in young children and adolescents with well-controlled type 1 diabetes
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Blunted counterregulatory hormone responses to hypoglycemia in young children and adolescents with well-controlled type 1 diabetes

Eva Tsalikian, William Tamborlane, Dongyuan Xing, Dorothy M Becker, Nelly Mauras, Rosanna Fiallo-Scharer, Bruce Buckingham, Stuart Weinzimer, Michael Steffes, Ravinder Singh, …
Diabetes care, Vol.32(11), pp.1954-1959
11/2009
DOI: 10.2337/dc08-2298
PMCID: PMC2768200
PMID: 19675205
url
https://doi.org/10.2337/dc08-2298View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Hypoglycemia in young children with type 1 diabetes is an acute complication of intensive insulin therapy and is commonly observed in the absence of signs or symptoms. The effect of intensive treatment and patient age on sympathoadrenal responses has not been established in youth with type 1 diabetes because of difficulties in testing procedures. We developed a standardized inpatient continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion protocol to produce a progressive fall in plasma glucose concentrations in insulin pump-treated patients. Plasma glucose and counterregulatory hormone concentrations were measured in 14 young children (3 to <8 years, A1C 7.7 +/- 0.6%) vs. 14 adolescents (12 to <18 years, A1C 7.6 +/- 0.8%). Plasma glucose decreased to similar nadir concentrations in the two groups. Four young children and four adolescents never had an epinephrine response. In the four young children and five adolescents who had a modest epinephrine response, this only occurred when plasma glucose fell to <60 mg/dl. In evaluating symptom scores, 29% of parents of young children felt that their child looked hypoglycemic, even at the lowest plasma glucose concentrations. Adolescents were better able to detect symptoms of hypoglycemia. In comparison with our data, epinephrine response to hypoglycemia in 14 nondiabetic adolescents studied at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh was higher. These data suggest that even young children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes are prone to develop hypoglycemia-associated autonomic failure regardless of duration. Whether these abnormalities can be reversed using continuous glucose monitoring and closed-loop insulin delivery systems awaits further study.
Hypoglycemic Agents - therapeutic use Dietary Carbohydrates Glycated Hemoglobin A - metabolism Humans Hormones - secretion Child, Preschool Glucagon - blood Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - drug therapy Norepinephrine - blood Hypoglycemic Agents - administration & dosage Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - blood Epinephrine - blood Adolescent Human Growth Hormone - blood Insulin Infusion Systems Hypoglycemia - blood Blood Glucose - metabolism Hormones - blood Hydrocortisone - blood Child

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