July 2, 1999
Research: Causes and Prevention
Question from Amherst, Ohio, USA:
My 3 year old son was diagnosed as Insulin dependent 5 months ago after contracting E. coli which resulted in Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome. The doctors are not sure what has caused him to be insulin dependent except to say that the HUS somehow affected his pancreas causing severe pancreatitis. Our pediatricians and endocrine doctors have all told us that in their research they have not seen a case of HUS which caused insulin dependence but they have no reason to believe he is a type 1 diabetic.
Have you ever heard of insulin dependence resulting from HUS or E. coli and if so, what is the possibility this is not a permanent condition like type 1 diabetes?
Answer:
Although I have not personally seen an association of insulin dependent diabetes and hemolytic uremic syndrome, this apparently has been reported. You may want to search PubMed under hemolytic uremic syndrome and diabetes.
Testing for antibody against islet cells, insulin, and GAD may help tell whether the stress of the illness brought out latent, developing autoimmune diabetes, or whether the diabetes was secondary to damage to the pancreas caused by the illness. In either case, the treatment is probably the same.
TGL
