Urine Ketone Testing

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Urine ketone testing is advised for insulin treated patients. When a diabetic does not have enough insulin, the amount of glucose increases in the blood (hyperglycaemia).

When you don't have enough insulin fats stores break down to provide the body with energy. Ketone bodies (ketones) are produced when fat is broken down. When ketones are produced they are released into the blood. Ketones are very dangerous and the body removes them in various ways, by either excretion in the urine, or through your breath. If the ketones increase to such a level in the body, ketoacidosis can occur.

Usually when a diabetic is poorly controlled insulin, you can smell pear drops or acetone on his breath. If you are pregnant, you are very sensitive to changes in hormones and metabolites in your body. Rises in ketone levels are harmful to the baby.

Ketoacidosis is when there are too many ketones in the body and the blood essentially becomes quite acidic resulting in:

Flushed and hot skin.
Restlessness, drowsiness
Fast but deep breathing.
Abdominal pain, vomiting
loss of appeitite
Confusion.

Type 1 diabetics (and some type 2 diabetics) are at risk from diabetic ketoacidosis if they do not take enough insulin. Other risks for ketoacidosis are:

Severe infection/illness
Drastically dehydrated.

To test your ketone levels:

It is the same method as blood glucose testing.
Dip the test strip into a container containing urine (always check the expiry date on the test strip first).
After 30 seconds the colour of the test strip should be compared to the colour specified on the colour chart.
A normal results will be negative.

You should test your ketone levels if:

You are feeling unwell
You have an infection
You have poorly managed diabetes
If your random blood glucose is over 15mmol/l

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All information published on this web site is for information purposes only. The content of this web site should not be used for a conclusive diagnosis or for choosing a treatment. The content on this site has been provided as a guideline and general information it is not intended to replace professional medical care. In all serious cases it is advisable to recieve attention from a qualified medical practitioner.