August 6, 2007
Other
Question from Pandharpur, India:
My eight-year-old son is mentally retarded. Although he has improved in the last two years, he had a blood sugar of 515 mg/dl [28.6 mmol/L] and was diagnosed with diabetes. His blood sugars were quite unpredictable at first, but after three days, he was stable enough to come home. He takes 10 or 11 units of insulin in the morning and six units in the evening. Sometimes, he does not even need the evening shot. Meanwhile, I have noticed that his left foot is looking cracked. Why is this? How do we treat it? What can we do to prevent this from happening?
Answer:
Diabetic foot cannot present in a child with only two years duration of diabetes. Diabetes is not the reason for his left foot cracking. That said, the best way to prevent any chronic complication of diabetes is to keep his blood sugar levels under the best metabolic control as expressed by A1c level not higher than 6.5%. Your pediatrician or family doctor should be able to help find treatment.
MS
