Prevalence and Clinical Outcome of Inpatient Hyperglycemia in a Tertiary Care Medical Centre

Aim: To determine the association between hyperglycaemia and clinical outcome in children admitted to a tertiary care medical centre
Methods: A retrospective observational study was carried out on pediatric patients admitted to a tertiary care medical centre. A total of 160 cases were included. The details were recorded and the prevalence of hyperglycaemia and its association with clinical outcome was analysed.
Results: A total of 120 patients (75%) had an admission blood glucose ≤ 120 mg/dl [(mean 97 ± 1 mg/dl (± SEM)], 31 children (19.3%) had an admission blood glucose level between 121–179 mg/dl (mean 151 ± 2 mg/dl), and 9 patients (5.6%) had a blood glucose level ≥ 180 mg/dl (mean 270 ± 14 mg/dl). Children with hyperglycemia were more likely to be admitted to the ICU (p<0.001) and had a longer length of ICU stay (p<0.001), but admission hyperglycemia was not associated with longer hospital stay or higher hospital mortality.
Conclusion: Hyperglycemia is present in one-fourth of children admitted to the hospital, most of them without a history of diabetes prior to admission. There was no in-hospital mortality but however there was a greater need for ICU care and longer ICU stay in hyperglycemic patients.

Keywords: Hyperglycemia, children, paediatrics, mortality, hospital stay