Stress hyperglycemia (SH) is often identified in patients visiting the pediatric emergency department (PED), and SH in adults has been associated with adverse outcomes, including mortality. In this retrospective study, we determined the adverse outcomes according to blood glucose (BG) levels of children visiting the PED of tertiary hospitals. Data were collected from the electronic medical records of children aged <18 years between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2020. A total of 44,905 visits were included in the analysis. SH was identified in 1506 patients, with an incidence rate of 3.4%. Compared to those without SH, patients with SH had significantly higher ward admission rates (52.6% vs. 35.9%, p < 0.001), intensive care unit admission rates (2.6% vs. 0.7%, p < 0.001), and mortality rates (2.7% vs. 0.3%, p < 0.001). Compared to the normoglycemic group of 45 ≤ BG < 150 mg/dL, the odds ratios (95% CI) for mortality were 5.61 (3.35−9.37), 27.96 (14.95−52.26), 44.22 (17.03−114.82), and 39.94 (16.31−97.81) for levels 150 ≤ BG < 200, 200 ≤ BG < 250, 250 ≤ BG < 300 and ≥300 mg/dL, respectively. This suggests that SH is common in children visiting the PED and is associated with higher adverse outcomes. Thus, there is a need to quickly identify its cause and take prompt intervention to resolve it.
Keywords: child; emergency department; mortality; stress hyperglycemia.