March 8, 2001
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from Alabama, USA:
My 14 year old daughter has just been diagnosed with hypoglycemia. Initially, over the phone the doctor told me that the glucose tolerance test indicated that she had both hypoglycemia and diabetes. However, when we met face to face to go over the five- hour glucose test results, he said she had hypoglycemia. After the meeting I spoke with the doctor on the phone, and once again he referred to her having both conditions. I am very confused. What is the difference in hypoglycemia and diabetes? How is it determined if someone has both conditions? Her glucose test results were: Fasting — 94 mg/dl [5.4 mmol/L]; one-half hour — 163 mg/dl [9.1 mmol/L]; one-hour — 161 mg/dl [8.9 mmol/L]; two-hour — 131 mg/dl [7.3 mmol/L]; three-hour — 106 mg/dl [5.9 mmol/L]; four-hour —61 mg/dl [3.4 mmol/L]; five-hour –72 mg/dl [4 mmol/L]. What do these results indicate?
Answer:
You will find help interpreting your daughter’s results at Classification and Diagnosis of Diabetes. I would suggest that you let your doctor know about your confusion and sit down with him until you are not confused and you are satisfied with understanding the meaning of the test results.
MSB
[Editor’s comment: People don’t have both hypoglycemia and diabetes (unless someone being treated for diabetes has an undershoot of their blood sugars as a result of the treatment), and using a glucose tolerance test to diagnose either hypoglycemia or diabetes is not common practice. If your daughter’s physician is unable to answer your questions, please ask for a referral to have your daughter evaluated by an endocrinologist.
P.S. — The GTT results look pretty unremarkable to me.
WWQ]
