Studies on the Physiologic Hypoglycemia of Newborns

Abstract

The observations on the glucose levels of capillary blood and blood from the v. cava inf. show that in many newborns there are differences between the glucose levels in the capillary blood and the blood from other regions of the body. This indicates that extremely low levels of glucose found in capillary blood may be a local condition probably caused by impaired circulation in the skin. It is possible that this is part of a mechanism which improves the supply of vital organs by decreased circulation in the skin. The unchanged potassium and sodium content of the erythro-cytes in the capillary blood during the first two days of life prove that the energy producing processes necessary to maintain these levels are undisturbed during hypoglycemia. This indicates that basic processes in the periphery of the body are not impaired by the low level of blood sugar. The normal supply of vital organs with glucose and the maintenance of basic energy producing processes in the periphery would explain why the physiologic hypoglycemia of newborns does not cause pathologic symptoms.