March 23, 2000
Blood Tests and Insulin Injections
Question from America Online:
Tonight I picked my 7 year old granddaughter up from her dance class. She told me she was hungry, dizzy and felt like she was going to throw-up and had a headache. Bells and whistles went off so when we got to my house, I used my husband’s meter, changed out the lancet and checked her blood sugar level. It was 63. She weighs about 70 lbs and is rather tall and big boned for her age.
My husband is diabetic as is his father, grandfather, grandmother and numerous aunts and uncles. My mother is also diabetic and I have problems with low blood sugar from time to time.
What is the normal range for blood sugar for a 7 year old? Is it the same as adults? 90-110 is what I was told.
Answer:
Fasting blood sugar levels of 90-110 mg/dl may have been given to your husband as a guide in his diabetes care; but the equivalent values for children would be around 60 to 100 mg/dl.Your 7 year old granddaughter’s symptoms may have been related nonetheless to an earlier and lower blood sugar and it is possible that she needs a snack at the time of her dance class. Although autoimmune diabetes can present with hypoglycemia it is very rare indeed for this to be the case at her age.
DOB
