Can a seizure cause high blood sugar?

Question

My 4 year old son has had 3 seizures in the past 6 months and an EEG showed normal results and he did not have a fever at the time of his seizures. He had a seizure Friday and I called an ambulance to check his blood sugar and it was 218. After he finally woke up and could drink I was giving him alot of water to flush his system out. It was 8 hours after his seizure before we could get him to a doctor and they checked his blood and it was 112 and they said he wasn't diabetic and that maybe the seizure caused his sugar to go up that high. His seizures are usually over five minutes long. Is this something to worry about or not? Is he diabetic? He drinks alot and uses the bathroom alot. His feet and hands stay red and sometimes look purple. He's autistic and doesn't talk so he can't tell us how he feels. So we really need to figure this little guy out before something bad happens.

Answer 1

It's not uncommon for a seizure to cause a transient case of hyperglycemia. Grand mal or tonic-clonic seizures cause a large discharge of sympathetic nervous system activity, usually resulting in increased levels of circulating catecholamines (i.e. epinephrine). When epinephrine binds to many cells, it stimulates them to utilize lipolysis (the burning of fat) for energy instead of glucose, thus leaving more glucose available in the blood for the central nervous system to use. Additionally, it stimulates the liver to break down stored glycogen into glucose and also to "manufacture" more glucose from noncarbohydrate molecules (gluconeogenesis). Furthermore, it stimulates the pancreas to produce glucagon, a hormone that causes increased glycogenolysis (breaking down of stored glycogen) and it also stimulates the pancreas to decrease its insulin secretion. Less insulin means less uptake of glucose by muscle and adipose tissue.

As you can see, there are a number of metabolic changes taking place after a seizure that all lead to a net increase in available blood glucose. The increased sympathetic tone of the body following a seizure is also manifested by increased heart rate and blood pressure (again, largely due to epinephrine but also to hormones such as cortisol). These changes are, of course, temporary. When the sympathetic nervous system "calms down" the body will quickly recognize the elevated blood glucose level in the body and initiate various metabolic pathways to return it to normal (hence the normal level you found at the MD's office).

If your son had diabetes, it would very likely be Type-1 due to his age (it takes years and years of poor dieting to cause Type-2 diabetes), and he would therefore have chronically elevated glucose levels. Additionally, the byproducts of fatty acid metabolism would be readily detectable in his blood through even the most simple tests.

I would not worry about the likelihood of him having diabetes. Continue to investigate with his MD the cause of the seizures he is experiencing.

Answer 2

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RE:
Can a seizure cause high blood sugar?
My 4 year old son has had 3 seizures in the past 6 months and an EEG showed normal results and he did not have a fever at the time of his seizures. He had a seizure Friday and I called an ambulance to check his blood sugar and it was 218. After he finally woke up and could drink I was giving him...

Answer 3

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Answer 4

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Answer 5

Yes, seizures can raise your blood sugar, but usually not this much. On the other hand, highly elevated blood sugar levels can cause seizures. I would see a new doctor post haste. It sounds as though your son has epilepsy that is caused by elevated blood sugar levels. If you can find the cause of the blood sugar disturbances, you can prevent the seizures and that's a very good thing :) I have epilepsy myself. Seizures are no fun.

Answer 6

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Answer 7

Wow, you really have a challenging situation. You really need to talk to your doctor, have some blood work done and go from there. Excessive thirst and urination are common symptoms of diabetes. Seizures are stressful and stress can increase blood glucose, but in a non-diabetic person they should not get so high. You may want to buy a glucose monitor and periodically check his blood glucose levels, and document them. It can help show any patterns or unusually high readings.

I am so sorry for your situation. Having an ill child is not easy, especially one with special needs as well. I hope and pray you find good doctors in your area who can thoroughly test and properly diagnose your son so he gets the care he so needs. If you ever feel you are not getting the answers you need, move on and get another opinion. This little boy's life is too important and his needs too complicated not to. Best wishes.

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Answer 9

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Answer 10

Yes, its normal for a seizure to temporarily cause a high blood sugar. No worries.