
August 24, 2001
Behavior
Question from Dunlap, Illinois, USA:
My five and a half year old son, who has had type�1 diabetes for two years and has been on an insulin pump for almost a year, is in good control (his hemoglobin A1c is 7.3%), but lately he has been having uncontrollable mood swings which we think are linked to the type of food he eats (cake, cookies, candy, etc.). He does not have that much of it, but just one cookie can make him become uncontrollable, even though his blood sugar is normal. Do you think he has a sugar allergy? Is this normal behavior for a five year old?
Answer:
I do not think he has a sugar allergy. Indeed, I doubt that it is related to his diabetes unless you can identify appreciable swings in his blood sugar that correlate with the mood swings. That behavior is not uncommon in five year old boys.
MSB