October 11, 2000
Other, Social Issues: School and Daycare
Question from Okinawa, Japan, USA:
My 10 year old son has had type 1 for two years. Last year, during the school year, their air conditioners went down, and the school was very hot. It made his blood sugars go up very high (in the 200-300s mg/dl [11.1-16.7 mmol/L]). Now this year, they have lowered the air to control a mold problem, and with it being so cold, I have noticed a drastic change in his sugar levels (again 200-300s mg/dl [11.1-16.7 mmol/L]). How does temperature change affect his sugars? Is this common or is everyone’s body react differently?
Answer:
Wow, you’ve got me. I live in the deep South where it gets really hot and I’ve not seen such an effect on glucose. People who are high, are high in the heat and in the cool. So I’m of the opinion that the temperature of the room shouldn’t be the cause.
LD
[Editor’s comment: I can understand that, perhaps, one can have high blood sugars from the heat due to dehydration. However, I don’t comprehend them being high due to cold. The common thread here seems to be school. Perhaps school is stressful and that is really what’s causing the highs.
SS]
