June 1, 2005
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from Collingwood, Ontario,Canada:
I have been concerned about my son for some time. He is eight years old and has always been thin and had a short attention span. He has always had a great deal more to drink than my other two children. He is somewhat underweight even though he is constantly eating. Recently, he has been complaining of feeling nauseous in the evening, though he has not vomited. He is very grumpy and irritable. I have brought this up with my family doctor on more than one occasion and her answer has always been to check for any sugar levels in his urine. His urine has never shown any sign of sugar and this has been her proof that he is not diabetic. My son is otherwise healthy and does not get sick very often (i.e. colds, flu, etc.) Does sugar always show up in the urine of a suspected child diabetic? Or, should I be requesting blood tests?
Answer:
A urine test is frequently used as a screen for diabetes. It is not the most sensitive test for diabetes. If a child is having symptoms of diabetes, blood testing may be required. A simple fasting blood sugar is typically done, although it may be important to do even more detailed blood testing in your physician’s office.
For more information about testing for diabetes, see Classification and Diagnosis of Diabetes
MSB
