January 17, 2005
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA:
My three year old had a bladder infection three months ago. She started to have some accidents again so I took her to the doctor again to see if she had another urinary tract infection. This time she did not. She did have 250 mg/dl [13.9 mmol/L] sugar in her urine and her finger poke was 215 mg/dl [11.9 mmol/L] 45 minutes after eating a Pop Tart. The doctor sent her blood away for antibody testing. Does she have type 1 or not? Her sugars have since been good. Have you had a patient with these symptoms before who have had a negative antibody test? She may be in the early stages. If she is not type 1, is there any other reason for the sugar in her urine?
Answer:
A blood sugar of 215 mg/dl [11.9 mmol/L] is very concerning for type 1 diabetes. Occasionally, diabetes is caught very early before any symptoms emerge such as frequent urination, weight loss, excessive thirst and hunger. Your daughter’s blood sugars need to be monitored carefully and the testing your physician has done is entirely appropriate. I would suggest following your pediatrician’s advice about any further testing and monitoring that may be necessary.
MSB
