My daughter has had Type 1 diabetes for 5 years. She is 11 years old. She recently went for a urine test and the doctor redid her with a 24 hour urine test. Now the doctor says her albumin level is high. Could you please explain the treatments for this kidney condition and what is the long term outcome for young patients? Is there something we can do to stop it?

I think that you need to talk this over some more with your daughter’s doctor. You don’t say how much protein there was in the urine; but it is very unlikely that an 11 year old who has only had diabetes for 5 years and who I presume has been in reasonably good control, would have the kind of albuminuria (microalbuminuria) that is the earliest sign of renal diabetes complications.

It is much more likely that this represents an asymptomatic urinary tract infection or the consequences of a previous urinary tract infection. This is a possibility that needs to be investigated. It is also possible that this finding reflects some kind of glomerulonephritis especially an episode of acute nephritis that may have occurred some years ago. This might ultimately justify a needle biopsy of the kidney.

DOB