HSE National Clinical Guideline: Management of Paediatric Type 1 Diabetes Patient with an intercurrent illness (Hospital)

When children with T1D are unwell, their blood glucose levels are often affected. Many illnesses, especially with a fever, raise blood glucose levels as a result of relative insulin resistance due to raised stress hormone levels and this may ultimately result in increased ketone body production. In contrast, children with vomiting and diarrhoea (e.g. gastroenteritis) are at risk of hypoglycaemia because of reduced carbohydrate intake/absorption. This guideline is to improve the management of paediatric T1D patients with an intercurrent illness and is in-tended for healthcare professionals, particularly those in training, who are working in HSE-funded paediatric and neonatal services. The guideline is designed to guide clinical judgement but not replace it. In individual cases a healthcare professional may, after careful consideration, decide not to follow a guideline if it is deemed to be in the best interests of the child.