Sulfonylurea Treatment in Young Children With Neonatal Diabetes: Dealing with hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, and sick days

Recently, heterozygous activating mutations in the genes forming the ATP-sensitive K+ channel (KATP channel), KCNJ11 and ABCC8 , have been shown to cause neonatal diabetes (1–4). Sulfonylurea treatment restores insulin secretion in these patients (3,5,6), but information on the practical management of children with mutated KATP channels taking this medication is limited. We report clinical aspects of the successful transfer to oral treatment in three cases of young children with KCNJ11 and ABCC8 mutations (Table 1). All parents gave written consent. In case 1, a girl was transferred from insulin to glibenclamide at 17 months (7) and had been on this treatment for 2 years. During this period, blood glucose testing decreased …