October 1, 2000
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA:
My husband and I each have a niece with type 1 diabetes. One was diagnosed at age16 months and the other at age seven and one-half years. The diabetes was traced back to each of their fathers’ sides of the family (one is my brother, and the other is my husbands’ brother). We occasionally check our two sons’ sugar levels (about twice a year). My four and one-half year old had a reading of 145 mg/dl [8.1 mmol/L], and my two and one-half year old had a reading of 153 mg/dl [8.5 mmol/L] at 4 pm one afternoon. The oldest has had blood in his urine for about six months now and on two urine tests had ketones. The pediatrician did a blood test (the one that checks the reading for the past month [HbA1c]) and said nothing was abnormal for that month. Should I have him re-tested or is it just a fluke about the blood in his urine and the ketones?
Answer:
No, you don’t need to retest your older son for blood sugar or ketonuria. The post-prandial blood sugar level performed seems fine while ketonuria can be due to flu.
I wouldn’t say the same for the hematuria (blood in the urine) lasting six months; I’d check his urine again and ask for a nephrologist’s consultation.
MS
