June 2, 2002
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from Cohoes, New York, USA:
My three year old daughter has been classified as obese (50 pounds) by her pediatrician, and both of my husband’s parents have type 1 diabetes. On a whim, I recently checked my daughter’s blood sugar, and It was 247 mg/dl [13.7 mmol/L]. I have checked it on several occasions since then, on average it runs 190-245 mg/dl [10.6-13.6 mmol/L], even after an hour of physical activity, and her urine also has a funny odor.
I would like to mention this to my daughter’s pediatrician, but my mother-in-law says that I shouldn’t because of the extensive testing that they will do. What should my daughter’s blood sugar be? Should I mention this to her doctor? I’m worried that it might not be diabetes, but something more serious, like pancreatic cancer. I thank you for any insight that you would be able to give me.
Answer:
Your daughter’s blood sugar before meals should be 65-110 mg/dl [3.6-6.1 mmol/L] so routinely running blood sugars of 190-245 mg/dl [10.6-13.6 mmol/L] is markedly abnormal. It is likely that your daughter has diabetes and is clearly at risk for complications if that is not promptly addressed. This is not likely to represent pancreatic cancer.
I would suggest making an appointment with your daughter’s pediatrician today and reviewing what you’ve told us, to assure that treatment can be promptly started prior to your daughter becoming ill. I would also recommend to your mother-in-law that deliberately withholding information from your pediatrician is never a good idea. Your pediatrician’s job is made easier by having an open family that is free to discuss concerns.
MSB
