Hypoglycemia presenting as acute respiratory failure in an infant

Hypoglycemia, a common metabolic abnormality seen in the pediatric population, is most often easily diagnosed and rapidly treated with satisfactory outcome. If not recognized and treated in prompt fashion, however, hypoglycemia may cause irreversible central nervous system injury or expose the patient to unnecessary procedures; it rarely results in death. The classic emergency department (ED) presentation of hypoglycemia, the diabetes mellitus patient using hypoglycemia therapy, is frequently encountered and adequately managed with excellent outcome. Alternatively, the patient may present to the ED in a fashion suggestive of a situation other than hypoglycemia. For example, the patient with an altered sensorium following a traumatic event, with a focal neurologic finding, or with bradycardia—all situations in which hypoglycemia is the causative issue—may not be immediately recognized as such a metabolic problem. This report presents a case of a 9-month-old boy who presented with acute respiratory failure and mental status change; the initial ED impression was one of pneumonia with sepsis. Further evaluation uncovered the actual reason for the mental status change and respiratory insufficiency: hypoglycemia was noted on laboratory analysis; no clinical evidence of pneumonia was found after thorough ED evaluation and a prolonged hospital stay. His mental status improved and his respiratory insufficiency resolved after glucose therapy. No other explanation for the respiratory failure was found during the hospital admission. It is imperative that the emergency physician consider hypoglycemia in all patients with any degree of mental status abnormality, even when the findings seem to be explained initially by other etiologies.