October 9, 2003
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from Nebraska, USA:
My daughter’s endocrinologist says that she can’t have diabetes because even though her blood sugar goes over 300 mg/dl [16.7 mmol/L], it goes down without insulin. I thought that the fact that the blood sugars go high meant you have diabetes. When you have diabetes are your blood sugars supposed to come down on their own over time or will they increasingly go higher?
Answer:
Not all hyperglycemia is diabetes mellitus. Even in people who have diabetes, blood sugar can be influenced by meals, activities, and other hormones, and degrees of dehydration.
So, I think I sort of disagree with your daughter’s endocrinologist. Just because the blood sugars went down does not negate the possibility of diabetes. You may need to seek a cause of these higher readings to confirm that they are truly in the ranges that you describe. You did not provide enough of the story to allow a definite answer.
DS
