
November 27, 2001
Aches and Pains
Question from Simi Valley, California, USA:
My 10 year old daughter, who has had type 1 diabetes for five years and is on a insulin pump with hemoglobin A1cs always less than 7.4%, has been complaining of numbness and pain in her right arm. She has a hard time testing using that hand to get blood from her fingers. Could this be carpal tunnel syndrome at age 10?
Answer:
It is pretty rare for a 10 year old to have carpal tunnel syndrome. Consultation with your diabetes team and perhaps also with an experienced neurologist for EMG testing may be helpful. An adult neurologist may have much more experience than a pediatric neurologist in this instance, so perhaps both should be consulted in unison to be sure there is no other explanation.
SB