What the heck is going on?!

Nurses General Nursing

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I work in a very small pediatrics office. In the last 8 days we have had 3 patients diagnosed with onset of type 1 diabetes. In the 7 years that i have worked there i can only count one or two other cases.

This is crazy!!

I have heard a theory that a virus may damage the pancreas in people who are genetically prone to developing diabetes. Is there any basis to this theory?

Do you think this should be reported? Its not an infectious disease, but I really think the public should know that for some reason there has been this influx. Am i overreacting? I guess it could just be coincidence....but i just cant stop thinking about it.

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Specializes in chemical dependency detox/psych.

I guess that I would, for now, chalk it up to chance. I don't think it would hurt, however, to have your physician(s) ask around to see if other MDs in the area have seen a similar spike.

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Yes there are viruses that can effect the pancreas, and when compromised or damaged the patient become either temporarily or permanently diabetic. I would recommend that you speak to the Pediatrician(s) you are working for. I am sure they can give you the information you are looking for. If you are not satisfied with the answer you get you could always contact your states department of health and inquire.

Good luck and I would be curious as to what you find out.

Susan

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You are totally over reacting. There is a theory that antibodies that react to the coxsackie virus may then target the beta cells on the pancreas, but that would happen over the course of years, probably decades.

Don't bother reporting it. It's not an infectious disease. At all.

You are basing your thoughts on a very small sample- the patients in your office. There are a number of possibilities more likely than a mutant virus causing type I diabetes running rampant.

Perhaps another doctor somewhere referred these patients to you because they thought highly of your office's services. Perhaps your doc was asking for more patients, or more kinds of a patient.

However, the most likely of all is that it is just bad luck, combined with your alert observations- for example, you see the first type I, think it's unusual, and then you are hyperware, and are more likely to notice more.

Like red lights. If you hit a run of red lights on your way to work, you will notice everytime you stop at a red light, but it's not because the lights are out to get you- it's just coincidence.

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They were all our patients at a primary care office so they were not referred to us. All young children who came in for extreme thirst for the last few weeks.

We had the first patient diagnosed last week and it was a shock to the entire practice, and the physicians at that time commented that there hasnt been a dx in some time. Then we had one on Friday and another yesterday. I havent talked to the physicians yet but i definitely will. My nurse manager is aware, i just want to make sure that this is handled correctly.

Its likely a coincidence, but this has nothing to do with me being hyper-aware.

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They were all our patients at a primary care office so they were not referred to us. All young children who came in for extreme thirst for the last few weeks.

We had the first patient diagnosed last week and it was a shock to the entire practice, and the physicians at that time commented that there hasnt been a dx in some time. Then we had one on Friday and another yesterday. I havent talked to the physicians yet but i definitely will. My nurse manager is aware, i just want to make sure that this is handled correctly.

Its likely a coincidence, but this has nothing to do with me being hyper-aware.

Look, I'm just pointing out that seeing a few (you said yourself that it's a small office) patients with Type I all of a sudden is not significant. If you have a small number to start out with, then any variation- like seeing a couple more patients of a previously rare diagnosis, is going to seem like a huge uptick, but it's not. Its just coincidence.

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Wow. I bet those numbers are only going to go up. Were the children overweight or obese? If so, it might be a high fructose corn sugar infection...

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Wow. I bet those numbers are only going to go up. Were the children overweight or obese? If so, it might be a high fructose corn sugar infection...

A high fructose corn sugar infection??? For a type I? No doubt caused by using the microwave too much. Or getting a flu shot.

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Wow. I bet those numbers are only going to go up. Were the children overweight or obese? If so, it might be a high fructose corn sugar infection...

Huh??

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Something must have flown over my head because I'm so confused by the last 3 posts. :confused:

Anyway, is it really all that rare to have a child diagnosed with Type I diabetes? I'm actually more surprised that your doctor's office doesn't see more of it. I'm with the ones who say it's coincidence. Three kids doesn't seem like all that many. It's just that they happened to all get diagnosed at the same time. Maybe it has to do with all the halloween candy they ate last week. :rolleyes:

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Huh??

Yeah oops! Type I is auto-immune related and not obesity related. Sorry!

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Yeah oops! Type I is auto-immune related and not obesity related. Sorry!

You still haven't explained what "high fructose corn sugar infection" is.

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