My premature baby has high sugar levels. I am worried. Please help.

Question

Hello doctor,

My wife delivered a baby boy two months prematurely and he was underweight (1.210 kg). The reason was almost nil movement of the fetus and very less fluid in the fetus (3.5 to 4).After the delivery, the doctor said that all the other parameters of the baby like the height of the baby, the size of the head and heart, etc. are normal except for the weight, low blood count, and high sugar level. So, he was given blood.

Initially, the sugar level was beyond 500. So, the doctor put him on continuous insulin. Due to this, his sugar level came down but, it was never below 150. So the doctor said that he might have diabetes. Since the last two days, he is given insulin injection at intervals instead of continuously. Even though at mornings, the sugar level is in the range of 140 to 180, at evenings, it jumps to 250 to 350. However, today it jumped to 484. All the other tests like USG of stomach and head were conducted but, found to be normal. The doctor also tested a fluid from his spine but, all were normal. There is no infection and no hearing problem. He is otherwise normal. He is active, cries and moves like normal babies. But, I am worried. What is going on?

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

The possible reasons for diabetes are a lack of development of insulin response due to prematurity, in which case it will improve with time. Another possibility is sepsis, that will subside with antibiotics.

The less likely possibility is a congenital absence of the pancreas. This one will need imaging in the form of CT or MRI abdomen. The treatment is insulin therapy.

For now, taking care of sepsis is of prime importance. If it is sepsis-related or prematurity-related, it will improve with time.