What are hypoglycemia and a low blood sugar?

Also known as:  hypoglycemia, low blood sugar, low blood glucose

Glucose is the main source of fuel for the cells of the body, particularly the brain. Hypoglycemia is the medical term for a low blood sugar (the normal range depends on prematurity and its type, being full term born and age after birth).

It’s a common problem in newborn and preterm infants and is usually seen in older children as a complication of taking insulin for diabetes mellitus.

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Reviewed by: Jack Wolfsdorf, MD, FAAP

This page was last updated on: 1/29/2019 3:21:13 PM