My mom is 50yrs old she has diabetes type 1, but lately she has been complaining about her entire back hurting and her waist. what can it be?

Many things: Type 1 diabetes puts people at risk for infections and nerve pain. Your mom could have a kidney infection, shingles (which would cause pain on only one side of her back or waist), or something unrelated to her diabetes-- back or disc problems for example. It's important for her to see a doctor for a physical exam and evaluation, especially because of her diabetes.

It could be..: People with diabetes can develop focal neuropathy which can affect specific nerves. This could cause pain in the back, stomach, side, thigh, and other. Other possibilities could be a pinched nerve from the lumbar spine. Discuss with her doctor.

Other causes: Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease as is rheumatoid arthritis (ra), a process that can be underlying your mom's back pain situation. In people with type 1 diabetes, the body’s immune system attacks the pancreas, the organ where Insulin is made, much in the same way it attacks the synovial lining of the joints in ra. Seeing a rheumatologist will be the right step.