Ketones urine test

Urine ketones are usually measured as a "spot test." This is available in a test kit that you can buy at a drug store. The kit contains dipsticks coated with chemicals that react with ketones. A dipstick is dipped in the urine sample. A color change indicates the presence of ketones. This article describes the ketone…

You may have to follow a special diet. Your provider may tell you to temporarily stop taking certain medicines that may affect the test.

The test involves only normal urination. There is no discomfort.

Ketone testing is most often done if you have type 1 diabetes and: Your blood sugar is higher than 240 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) You have nausea or vomiting You have pain in the abdomen Ketone testing may also be done if: You have an illness such as pneumonia, heart attack, or stroke You have nausea or vomiting…

A negative test result is normal. Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. Some labs use different measurements or test different samples. Talk to your provider about the meaning of your specific test results.

An abnormal result means you have ketones in your urine. The results are typically listed as small, moderate, or large as follows: Small: <20 mg/dL Moderate: 30 to 40 mg/dL Large: >80 mg/dL Ketones build up when the body needs to break down fats and fatty acids to use as fuel. This is most likely to occur when the…

There are no risks with this test.

Murphy M, Srivastava R, Deans K. Diagnosis and monitoring of diabetes mellitus. In: Murphy M, Srivastava R, Deans K, eds. Clinical Biochemistry: An Illustrated Colour Text . 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2019:chap 32. Sacks DB. Diabetes mellitus. In: Rifai N, Chiu RWK, Young I, Burnham CAD, Wittwer CT, eds.…