October 27, 2001
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from Kennesaw, Georgia, USA:
My five year old daughter complained of discomfort when she urinated, and her doctor did not find an infection, but he did find a small amount of glucose. Her blood sugar level was 121 mg/dl [6.7 mmol/L] after a juice drink. What could cause the glucose in her urine?
Answer:
Glucose in the urine is an abnormal finding. Typically, glucose doesn’t pass into the urine unless blood sugars are greater than about 150 mg/dl [8.3 mmol/L]. There are other causes of glucose in the urine that are less common than diabetes in children, some of which aren’t harmful. However, more commonly, glucose in the urine is due to diabetes. I would suggest doing some blood testing and serial urine tests at your physician’s direction to find the cause of the glucose in the urine.
MSB