September 11, 2001
Hyperglycemia and DKA
Question from India:
My 12 year old son, diagnosed with type 1 diabetes about 15 months ago, is on 70/30 insulin and his blood sugars are usually 90-150 mg/dl [5-8.3 mmol/L], but at times it is out of control and post meals shoots up to 180 mg/dl [10 mmol/L], especially if he has cold and cough. Is this normal? What extra care does he need to take to combat this problem?
Answer:
It is not unusual to see blood glucose levels rise when a child is unwell with a cold, sore throat, etc., as the body is more resistant to insulin during these times. Sometimes, you need to give more insulin to counteract this effect, but can go back to the usual insulin dose once he has recovered from the illness. If you are seeing high blood glucose readings commonly after meals, then you may need to give either a bigger dose or a mix with more fast acting insulin, or even consider using an analog mix if it is available.
JS
