Re-Evaluating “Transitional Neonatal Hypoglycemia”: Mechanism and Implications for Management (J Peds 2015)

This commentary by Stanley et al talks about patterns of plasma glucose concentrations in normal newborns during the first days of  life, followed by a detailed discussion about transitional neonatal hypoglycemia in normal newborns. This is a hypoketotic form of hypoglycemia, which appears to be caused by a lower glucose threshold for suppression of insulin secretion than would be normal for infants, children, or adults. However, it is important to know the factors that differentiate transient neonatal hypoglycemia from a persistent hypoglycemia disorder, with special focus on timing of hypoglycemia.