1 Department of Pediatrics, Western Reserve University School of Medicine, at Cleveland Metropolitan, General Hospital, Cleveland 9, Ohio
RECOGNITION of the relative instability of the concentration of glucose in the infant's blood during the initial hours after delivery has stimulated study and consideration of the factors that influence the concentration of glucose during the neonatal period. The increased use by pediatric chemistry laboratories of the Somogyi-Nelson sugar method, which measures true glucose concentration and which gives a lower range of values compared to the older Folin-Wu technique, has intensified the interest in the problem of hypoglycemia of the newborn infant. The glucose concentration in blood depends upon the balance between entry (from placental, alimentary or hepatic sources) and removal (by peripheral utilization). The principal factors concern placental transfer of maternal glucose prior to separation of the cord, hepatic glycogen reserve, hepatic responsiveness and peripheral uptake.