November 29, 2001
Other Illnesses
Question from Lansing, Michigan, USA:
My 13 year old son woke this morning with blood and brown clots in his urine. He has no white cells in the urine, and has no symptoms other than urge to urinate. The doctor did a CAT scan which was negative for kidney stones.
My son is on a insulin pump and usually uses 35-40 units of insulin daily, but about two days ago, I noticed he had used 66 units. Obviously, he had eaten a lot of junk because his blood sugar readings were normal throughout the day. so the insulin was used to cover carbs only. Could this over use of insulin have affected his bladder or kidney function?
Answer:
I know of absolutely no reason why an increase in insulin dose should lead to the urinary symptoms that you describe. The problem might just possible be due to a very rare disorder due to dihydroxyadenine stones which would not be seen on a CAT scan. However, with no flank pain this seems unlikely. In any case, the problem will need to be solved by a pediatric urologist.
DOB
