Hyper- and hypoglycemia in children with community-acquired pneumonia.

Clinical conditions characterized by sufficient biological stress may be associated with hyperglycemia. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether stress induced by community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is associated with disturbances in glucose metabolism in children. Plasma glucose was measured in 108 children with CAP. The relationships between plasma glucose and clinical/laboratory characteristics of CAP were studied by multiple linear regression. The etiology of CAP was determined by serological methods. Plasma glucose level was 100.3 +/- 21.2 mg/dl (mean +/- SD). Only one patient developed hyperglycemia (167 mg/dl), and hypoglycemia (< 60 mg/dl) was present in four patients (3.7%). Plasma glucose had a significant association only with body temperature. Hyperglycemia was rare, about 1%, and the severity or etiology of CAP was not predictive for plasma glucose levels. However, about 4% of the patients had hypoglycemia, which could be explained by reduced calorie intake during acute infection or by the effect of stress-induced cytokines.