RESUMEN
Cognitive functioning after a mild hypoglycemic episode (MHE) was studied in 24 school-age children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). All children were administered a battery of neuropsychological tests which included digit spans, trailmaking tasks, Klove Mathews Maze test, and finger-tapping and handwriting tasks. The experimental group (n = 14) consisted of children who were tested initially after resolution of hypoglycemic symptoms following a documented MHE (Chemstrip bG less than or equal to 60 mg/dl with symptoms). The comparative group (n = 10) consisted of children who were initially evaluated after documentation of euglycemia. Comparison of the comparative group scores with test scores of the experimental group after recovery from the MHE demonstrated statistically significant differences (p less than 0.05 by dependent t-tests) in five of 12 tasks. No differences were noted when second trial scores of both groups were compared when they were retested after documentation of euglycemia. This study suggests that a discrepancy exists between the recovery rate of physical symptoms and cognitive function in children following a MHE.