June 29, 2009
Diagnosis and Symptoms, Research: Causes and Prevention
Question from United States:
My daughter was very healthy, then she had a huge swollen gland on her neck. We took her to the doctor who gave her antibiotics and tested for strep. She did not have strep, but got a bad rash. They had us come back in for a blood test for mononucleosis. She tested positive so they told us to stop the antibiotics. My daughter had mononucleosis for four weeks and started to drink a lot of water and got exhausted. I took her back in and they did a sugar test and her blood sugar was 491 mg/dl [27.3 mmol/L]. She had type 1 diabetes. Do you think taking the antibiotic when she had mononucleosis could have brought on the diabetes? There is no history of diabetes in our families.
Answer:
It is extremely unlikely that the antibiotic treatment or the mononucleosis itself (a virus infection) caused the diabetes. However, any such infection could be the final “blow” in an otherwise damaged pancreas unable to keep making sufficient insulin. Growth spurts also produce such effects.
SB
