Lately, my seven year old daughter, diagnosed with type 1 diabetes about 15 months ago, claims that her legs have “pressure”. When I asked her to describe this she said they feel heavy and ache. She also has been getting a lot of headaches. Are these symptom related to her diabetes?

It would be rare to have diabetic nerve disease (neuropathy) at such a young age, but not impossible. A lot would depend upon an individual’s susceptibility to such problems and also the hemoglobin A1c level, degree of control, etc. You should discuss this directly with your son’s diabetes team since they would be able to understand individual characteristics, what physical findings are present or absent etc.

SB

[Editor’s comment: The headaches are probably separate, and unlikely to be associated with diabetes unless they are a symptom of hypoglycemia. The pain in her legs might just be “growing pains,” which are frequently a normal occurrence in children, although rarely they may be associated with orthopedic or other conditions

WWQ]