July 30, 2003
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA:
My 10 year old daughter was recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, so we check my seven year old son’s blood sugar about once a month just to make sure his numbers are in the normal range. Every time we’ve checked, it’s been normal, but this morning, about an hour after a big breakfast, he complained of not feeling well so sister took his blood sugar, and it 50 mg/dl [2.8 mmol/L]. After two juice boxes, it was 62 mg/dl [3.4 mmol/L], about two hours later, it was 138 mg/dl [7.7 mmol/L], and tonight it is 89 mg/dl [4.9 mmol/L]. Could a low blood sugar reading after having consumed a lot of sugar at breakfast have any meaning? Should I consult my son’s pediatrician?
Answer:
Testing your son in the manner is likely to reveal an occasional blood sugar that is out of the normal range. I would not suggest testing your son unless he has symptoms of diabetes. In addition, I would suggest talking to his pediatrician about the testing results you’ve seen thus far.
MSB
