Under results of a new study, hypoglycemia, which is a drop in levels
of blood sugar, and is severe enough to cause seizures or coma in young
children with type 1 diabetes (those who develop the disease very early
in life) does not appear to result in impairments in mental ability or
behavior.
According to experts and scientific evidence, the hippocampus (a region
of the brain) is particularly sensitive to prolonged episodes of severe
hypoglycemia. And experts stated that “young children with type 1
diabetes are at greatest risk of severe hypoglycemic events, and this
has focused concern on the potential for hypoglycemic insult to impact
on central nervous system development”.
After compare 41 type 1 diabetic adolescents and children -who had a
history of hypoglycemia with coma or seizure- to 43 similar diabetic
subjects but without a history of severe hypoglycemic events, findings
demonstrate that a subgroup of patients who had early first seizure
showed more episodes of hypoglycemic seizure or coma in comparison to
those who experienced a seizure at an older age.
The team applied different tests of learning and memory, but also
intellectual and behavioral tests. The astonishing thing is that there
were no significant differences between the seizure and no-seizure
groups on the intellectual, memory or behavioral measures.
The main conclusion of the report is that results provide “some
reassurance to those treating children with type 1 diabetes with
intensive treatment that seizures/coma at a young age does not
necessarily result in gross cognitive or behavioral impairment”.
