January 28, 2003
Complications
Question from Ashland, Missouri, USA:
My five year old son, diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (but negative for antibodies) about two months ago, had kidney cancer (Wilms’ tumor attached to both kidneys) about seven months ago for which he finished treatment about five months later, and he was diagnosed with high blood pressure about a month after that. I am very worried about his kidneys because I feel he has three strikes against them now. What kind of symptoms should I be looking for so that I might catch a problem sooner rather than later? He gets seen every three to four months, but so much can happen in that amount of time, and it seems every time we get one problem under control, he gets diagnosed with something else..
Answer:
Yes, your son may be at higher risk of kidney issues than others. His various doctors, especially the cancer specialists and the endocrinologists should want to monitor kidney function regularly. It would be interesting to know more about his treatment for Wilm’s tumor. Certain chemotherapies can be toxic to the pancreas. That is a small percentage of cases of type 1 diabetes.
DS
