February 17, 2009
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from Preston, Lancashire, United Kingdom:
My almost eight-year-old daughter is very thirsty and extremely itchy at night. Recently, she has had frequent headaches and a stomachache with vomiting and diarrhea. She seems tired and pale, but sometimes looks very red and is sweating around her face and head. She had a urine test on Thursday that was normal. I am concerned because there is type 1 diabetes in my family. Should I take her back for a blood test or would the urine test show any anomalies?
Answer:
Urine testing is a pretty good screen for diabetes, but not the best. The best screen for diabetes is a fasting blood sugar or, even better, a two hour oral glucose tolerance test. Both of these tests are commonly done by almost any laboratory and well tolerated by children. I would suggest that you talk with your physician about your concerns. They can direct you to any further appropriate testing.
MSB
