My five year old son has some signs that worry me. He’s always asking for a drink and urinates a lot. He has a history of passing out, but nothing has ever been diagnosed. Some times he itches all over.

My son had a glucose tolerance test and his readings were: fasting, 89 mg/dl [ 4.9 mmol/L], then 229 mg/dl [12.7 mmol/L], 143 mg/dl [7.9 mmol/L], 249 mg/dl [13.8 mmol/L], and 234 mg/dl [ 13 mmol/L]. His HbA1c was 6.1%. Fasting blood sugars are between 59-147 mg/dl [3-8.2 mmol/L]. I have been told he might have MODY diabetes. I have no idea what that is. Can you help?

With a normal A1c level and a fasting blood glucose level at the time of the glucose tolerance test, I rather doubt that your son has diabetes. However, I do notice that other fasting levels were higher, but again, I think that could have been due to the stress of finger sticks and all the talk of diabetes.

Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY) exists in many forms, but is usually associated with a personal and family history of being overweight. Insulin is seldom needed to keep blood sugars close to normal limits, and usually diet and exercise are sufficient with the occasional added use of oral agents like Glucophage [metformin].

It is possible to make a precise diagnosis using some rather complex biochemical tests, but these are expensive to do and a specific answer does not really affect treatment. Type�2 diabetes itself is also increasingly common in young people and seems to be linked to a sedentary lifestyle and over dependence on high fat high calorie foods.

In view of the history it might be a good idea, with the help of your son’s doctor, to do an occasional simple urine test for glucose, and perhaps one or two more fasting blood sugars.

DOB