January 22, 2003
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from Lake Orion, Michigan, USA:
When my 10 month old son was recently admitted into the hospital with RSV, he had a blood sugar of 131mg/dl [7.3 mmol/L], but the hospital did not address this issue with us nor did they run another test. My family physician is concerned and has ordered more blood tests, but I have not noticed any of the usual warning signs of diabetes. My son weighs 24 pounds and primarily nurses still. I will admit that as the mother of three boys under the age of seven, my diet is not always perfect. Would it be obvious that he had diabetes with a blood sugar of 131mg/dl [7.3 mmol/L]? Could my diet be affecting him to this extent?
Answer:
There are many things that could contribute to a blood sugar of 131mg/dl [7.3 mmol/L] during an illness. This could be influenced by the IV fluids your child likely was receiving, the stress of the illness, the medications used to treat the illness as well as what your child had recently eaten. It does not necessarily mean that your child has diabetes. I agree with your family physician that further testing may be appropriate to help reassure you that your child indeed does not have diabetes.
MSB
