Dangerously low blood sugar affects about one in 10 babies born too early. Untreated, it can cause permanent harm. A dose of sugar given as a gel rubbed into the inside of the cheek is a cheap and effective way to protect premature babies against brain damage, say researchers from New Zealand. Current treatment typically involves extra feeding and repeated blood tests to measure blood sugar levels. But many babies are admitted to intensive care and given intravenous glucose because their blood sugar remains low - a condition doctors call hypoglycaemia. The study assessed whether treatment with dextrose gel was more effective than feeding alone at reversing hypoglycaemia.
'Sugar gel' helps premature babies - BBC 25 September 2013
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