February 17, 2006
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from Miami, Florida, USA:
A few weeks ago, my son had his annual physical and his fasting blood sugar result came back at 120 mg/dl [6.7 mmol/L]. I was alarmed by that, as diabetes runs in my family. However, the doctor told me that we just needed to monitor his sugar intake. I have two older children whose results were fine. In the last couple of weeks, my son seems very irritable, is sweating a lot, not focusing in school, is very forgetful, very tired and can’t stay still. Could he, in fact, have diabetes and further testing should be done to confirm diagnosis? I am very concerned and need guidance.
Answer:
We cannot prevent the development of type 1 diabetes. Type 2, we can prevent. Is he overweight? Is there type 2 in the family? He has pre-diabetes if the reading of 120 mg/dl [6.7 mmol/L] is accurate. You could monitor glucose in the urine with strips from the pharmacy. If positive, call your doctor right away. Or, you could ask to get a glucose meter and monitor his blood sugars. You have some of the best diabetes doctors in the world nearby. They could test to see if he is at risk to get diabetes. You have choices and I agree that you should do something.
LD
