Evaluation of diagnostic fasting in the investigation of hypoglycemia in children omani experienc.

OBJECTIVES To assess the safety and importance of diagnostic fast in the evaluation of hypoglycemia in children in a non-specialist set up. METHOD The medical records of 116 patients with hypoglycemia, admitted to Pediatric Unit, Royal Hospital, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, over a 15 year period, were reviewed. Of these, 96 (82.8%) patients, 52 boys and 44 girls, aged 8 days to 10 years were subjected to diagnostic fast. RESULTS Of these 96 patients fasted, 77 (80.2%) became hypoglycemic (HG group) and 19 (19.8 %) did not develop hypoglycemia on fast (NHG group). In the HG group, 69 (89.6%) patients developed symptomatic hypoglycemia of variable severity and none developed coma or convulsions during fasting. CONCLUSION The study has proved that diagnostic fast is relatively a safe procedure with considerable amount of diagnostic yield.