Question from Fortville, Indiana, USA:

Over the past two years, my 12-year-old son has lost about 15 pounds. He goes to the bathroom frequently, sometimes twice an hour and always seems hungry and lazy. We took him to the doctor. He had a 12-hour fasting glucose of 101 mg/dl [5.6 mmol/L]. Two months later, he had a fasting glucose of 103 mg/dl [5.7 mmol/L]. The doctor has ordered a glucose tolerance test. His maternal grandfather and both great grandmothers have diabetes, two of whom have type 2, one who has type 1. His grandmother with type 1 died with renal failure at 52 from complication of diabetes. I am a nurse and am aware that his glucose is just slightly elevated..I just am not sure how significant this is.