ArticleArchives of disease in childhood. Fetal and neonatal edition2003
An inadequate glycaemic response to glucagon is linked to insulin resistance in preterm infants?
Article in Archives of disease in childhood. Fetal and neonatal edition, 2003. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 23 citations in OpenAlex.
- Recurrent Hypoglycemia in Two Late-Preterm Infants With Transitional Disorder of Glucose Mobilization-Case Series.Clinical case reports · 2026Article
- Neonatal Hypoglycemia and Brain Vulnerability.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
aimsTo define clinical, metabolic, and hormonal characteristics of preterm infants relative to glucagon responsiveness.
methodsTwo phase study of 78 preterm infants (25-36 weeks gestation) on regular four hourly feeds anticipating discharge home at 36 weeks mean corrected gestation. In phase 1 infants were fasted until hypoglycaemic, or maximally for eight hours. Endocrine and metabolic profiles were obtained at completion. Phase 2 was performed the following day. A feed was omitted and replaced by a bolus dose of intravenous glucagon (100 micro g/kg). Main outcome measures were measurements of blood glucose and lactate concentrations, taken immediately pre-glucagon, and thereafter every 15 minutes for 60 minutes. A rise in glucose concentration of >1 mmol/l (55 infants) was defined as an adequate response to glucagon. An inadequate glycaemic response was <1 mmol/l (23 infants).
resultsSeveral differences in fasting blood glucose and hormone concentrations were identified in infants with an inadequate glycaemic response to glucagon compared to those with an adequate response: relative fasting hyperglycaemia (mean 3.7 v 3.3 mmol/l, p = 0.008); fasting hyperinsulinaemia (mean 4.3 v 2.6 mU/l, p = 0.014); an increased insulin:glucagon ratio (0.19 v 0.11, p = 0.014), and a lower insulin sensitivity QUICKI index (0.19 v 0.22, p = 0.04). There was no distinctive phenotype to reliably predict response to glucagon.
conclusionSome preterm infants show an inadequate glycaemic response to glucagon and have features suggestive of insulin resistance. The potential long term implications of such insulin resistance may have appreciable public health consequences.
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