Capillary Blood Sugar Values in Infants and Children During Oral Glucose Tolerance Tests

Abstract

A capillary blood micro technic for blood sugar utilizing the Unopette, a device forobtaining the required specimens, is described. The accuracy of the Unopette was tested and established. Three-hour capillary blood oral glucose tolerance tests, using this methodology, were performed on a total of 159 children in three age groups; one week to one-and-one-half years, one-and-one-half to three years, and three to twelve years. Oral glucose solution was administered according to age and weight. All children had negative family histories for diabetes and were in good health. The mean blood sugar values for each of the three age groups were compared with one another for each of the sampling periods. No significant differences at the 5 per cent level were observed among the group means at any of the six testing periods. Over-all means and the values of ± 2 standard deviations and the third to ninety-seventh percentiles were determined for the three age groups combined. Values for the :± 2 standard deviation range were: Fasting (55 to 88 mg./ 100 ml.); thirty minutes (77 to 160 mg./100 ml.); sixty minutes (66 to 149 mg./100 ml.); ninety minutes (68 to 133 mg./100 ml.); 120 minutes (59 to 130 mg./100 ml.); 180 minutes (46 to 105 mg./100 ml.).