September 7, 2006
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from Versailles, Kentucky, USA:
I have a child who has ups and downs with her sugar level. When she was tested, her A1c was 4.9. But, she still has high numbers at times, isn’t gaining any weight, eats and drinks a lot, and seems to be very tired lately. She has been as high as 338 mg/dl [18.8 mmol/L]. She was 245 mg/dl [13.6 mmol/L] two hours after eating her dinner two days ago. She was 179 mg/dl [9/9 mmol/L] when she woke up the other morning. She is hardly ever under 126 mg/dl [7.0 mmol/L]. She seems to be very hungry all the time and thirsty. She sleeps a lot more than she used to, but I don’t know if it’s because she is in kindergarten now or what. She went to preschool last year and she still was tired. One morning, she went to the health department around 8 a.m. and was 245 mg/dl [13.6 mmol/L] without anything to eat. I am just worried that if she doesn’t have diabetes, then why is she having the symptoms? Should I just let it go or should I keep watching her levels?
Answer:
A hemoglobin A1c is not at all the best way to ESTABLISH a diagnosis of diabetes. The glucose levels you describe, along with the symptoms, are rather worrisome.
A fasting, serum glucose test from a vein and analyzed in a hospital laboratory may be required here. You need to get the child seen by the pediatrician who knows the health record. Please do not delay. I am curious to know why you started checking her glucose readings? And, whose meter are you using?
DS
