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Continuity Clinic Notebook:

Chapter II. The Evaluation of the Sick Child

Chapter 2 Index

A. Evaluation by system

B. Other categories of illnesses:

1. Metabolic and Endocrine:
--Treatment of Diabetes: The Rule of “1’s”

--Outpatient Management of Diabetes

 

Hyperglycemia in Diabetics in the AM:
What to Do

Somogyi Phenomenon:  hypoglycemia episodes alternating with hyperglycemia hypoglycemia begets hyperglycemia: outpouring of counterregulatory hormones in response to an outpouring of counterregulatory hormones in response to insulin induced hypoglycemia.   Often associated with >2u/kg of insulin

Dawn Phenomenon: elevations of blood glucose between 5 and 9 AM without preceding hypoglycemia. This is a physiologic event and often follows patients treated with continuous insulin. Nocturnal surges of growth hormone antagonize insulin’s metabolic effects leading to hyperglycemia.

  3AM 7AM Treatment
Somogyi Hypoglycemia Hyperglycemia reduce PM NPH or delay until 9PM
Dawn normal or hyper Hyperglycemia increase PM dose NPH

Both of these phenomena can lead to the child termed the “brittle diabetic.”  Other manipulations that can try if the above fails are:

  • switch to two daily injections of insulin if not already on two shots
  • change from beef-pork mixtures to pure pork or human insulin

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Department of Pediatrics  |  Medical College of Georgia
Please email comments, suggestions or questions to:
John T.  Benjamin M.D., 
jbenj@mcg.edu

February 27, 2004