January 8, 2002
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from Tallahassee, Florida, USA:
For the past two weeks, my two and a half year old daughter has been excessively thirsty and hungry, and also she has been complaining of a belly ache, is very pale, and tires very easily. She has had a few fevers up to 104 degrees as well. However, I do know that excessive urination is also a sign of diabetes, and she has not had this at all.
Her pediatrician did some blood test which were all normal except the “sed rate” [a test for inflammation]. The doctor said it was probably a bad virus that made it go high. He also took a urine sample which showed no sugar yet a moderate amount of ketones. Is it possible that we may have overlooked diabetes?
Answer:
It sounds to me like your daughter’s doctor has covered the bases and has excluded diabetes. The fevers and slightly raised sedimentation rate are in keeping with a viral infection.
KJR
