July 18, 2007
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from Flint, Michigan, USA:
My son, who will be 13 in December, was tested for diabetes. All the tests came back normal except his insulin level, which was 6. One week later, it was 4.2. I find it hard to believe that everything else came back normal but that. I have been checking his blood sugar three times a day and it’s fine most of the time, never over 200 mg/dl [11.1 mmol/L]. His doctor wants to put him on insulin once a day, but I disagree. The only symptom he has is a stomachache and he sleeps a lot. He is on a diabetic diet at the present time. What is the range for insulin levels?
Answer:
Normal blood sugar levels before eating and through the night are usually in the 70 mg/dl [3.9 mmol/L] to 90 mg/dl [5.0 mmol/L] range, occasionally up to 100 mg/dl [5.6 mmol/L]. After eating, it could be up to 126 mg/dl [7.0 mmol/L], sometimes up to 140 mg/dl [7.8 mmol/L]. Insulin levels fasting and through the night would be in the single digits. After eating, they could go up higher but there is no set number. One must look at blood glucose and insulin together to decide if they are appropriate, one to the other, or not, and also account for timing of the day, relationship of meals, etc.
SB
