May 14, 2005
Honeymoon, Hypoglycemia
Question from Tirana, Albania:
My son has had diabetes for about one month. He was treated with insulin since the beginning. After three weeks of therapy, he went into remission. He now gets only half a unit of insulin (Insulatard) in the morning and one unit before sleeping and he still has low blood sugars during the first part of the day. His C-peptide is in normal range, 0.35. There are no family members with diabetes. The doctor is sure that his pancreas is producing insulin, but doesn’t use it properly. My son is six and a half years old and weighs 20 kg (about 41 pounds). His cholesterol is a bit high for a child his age and his weight. Might he have type 2 diabetes? Do we have hope for a long remission?
Answer:
I think that in light of your son’s clinical data, type 1 diabetes seems to be the most likely diagnosis. To confirm, you should try to check him for autoantibodies and for the stimulated insulin endogenous secretion through a C-peptide dynamic test. Actually, his C-peptide of 0.35 is rather low and not in the normal ranges. In children, generally the honeymoon period (remission) lasts from a few months to one year.
MS
