Ozdemir Durgul, Yilmaz Ebru, Duman Murat, Unal Nurettin, Tuncok Yesim
Department of Pediatrics, Dokuz Eylul University, School of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey.
Pediatr Emerg Care. 2004 Jul;20(7):464-5. doi: 10.1097/01.pec.0000132220.88470.7d.
Albuterol overdose can lead to tachycardia, hypotension, tremor, hypokalemia, and hyperglycemia in children. Hypoglycemia had been previously reported in only one child. We describe a 3-year-old boy who ingested high-dose albuterol in this report. On arrival to the emergency department, the child was agitated and had noticeable restlessness, sinus tachycardia, mild hypokalemia (3.2 mEq/L), and hyperglycemia (187 mg/dL). Activated charcoal and intravenous hydration were given, and electrocardiogram monitoring was performed. Sinus tachycardia resolved within 4 to 6 hours. Hypoglycemia (45 mg/dL) was identified 4 hours after admission. The child recovered uneventfully within 24 hours with glucose replacement. This case suggests that hypoglycemia could be a late complication of acute albuterol overdose; thus, the period of observation should be extended in these cases.
