February 15, 2001
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from Camden, Alabama, USA:
My five and on-half year old son has been on antibiotics for nearly two months About four days ago, he began excessive drinking and frequent urination (even to the point of bed wetting and accidents at play). Today, the doctor tested him for diabetes and told me my son is now at risk for having severe diabetes. Is this possible? Could it be a reaction to the medication? I am extremely concerned.
Answer:
No — there are no data that suggest strep or antibiotics cause diabetes. However, a better idea, and likely the truth, is that he was developing diabetes and that made him less able to fight infections. There is good data that elevated blood sugars impede the ability to fight infection. That is the likely situation. Diabetes or abnormal glucose first and the infection second. It just took a very high glucose to make the diabetes obvious.
LD
