September 1, 2001
Daily Care
Question from Ohio, USA:
My five year old grandson, who has type 1 diabetes diagnosed just over a year ago, has blood sugars which fluctuate so badly sometimes that I am probably overreacting as a grandparent. One morning it was 30 mg/dl [1.7 mmol/L] and by supper time it was 400 mg/dl [22.2 mmol/L]. Will all these high and lows cause him some damage? His doctor says that it will not hurt him at this time, only when he is older. What is your feeling on this?
Answer:
The doctor is essentially correct. While every effort should be made to avoid wild fluctuations in blood sugars, this is very difficult in young children because of the variation in food and activity from day to day. Things usually settle down once a more regular daily pattern is established. You shouldn’t worry too much as long as he’s healthy, his hemoglobin A1c results are satisfactory, and he is not having frequent episodes of hypoglycaemia.
KJR