April 5, 2000
Other Illnesses
Question from Colorado, USA:
Within the past year my daughter has had several UTIs [urinary tract infections] and the doctor has put her on several medications to clear them up but they always come back. Even if she drinks a pop or eats a candy bar usually within 24 hours she is complaining of burning pain and goes to the bathroom quite frequently. The doctor tested her urine and said nothing was found. She has now started bedwetting and she doesn’t remember doing it. Is there other kinds of test she can take besides the urine test? She is 9 years old and she has great aunts that have diabetes and a great grandmother that had diabetes and a deceased grandmother that was diabetic. Thanks for the help.
Also is the a way I can find out about doctors in the Colorado area that specialize in diabetes?
Answer:
It is very unlikely indeed that the underlying cause of your daughter’s UTI’s is diabetes if the urine test was negative for sugar and it is possible that the next step is to be further investigated for other urinary tract problems and/or a trial of long term medication for the UTI’s. The positive family history clearly concerns you; but almost certainly the story of diabetes in the older female relatives is of quite a different kind to that usually seen in children.
At this stage I don’t think it is necessary to pursue this idea further by going to diabetes specialists, but if it would further set your mind at rest you could ask the doctor to do a fasting blood sugar level on your daughter and if the result of that is at all doubtful to ask also about an antibody test. A call to 1-800-425-8361 could give you further information about this.
DOB