urine ketone test strip

Clinical significance

• detects urine ketones.
• popular with people on low carbohydrate diets
• limitations:
  • ketosis only occurs with rather stringent carbohydrate restriction

Increases

• hemolysis causes discoloration of test tablets or sticks
• clinical disorders
  • diabetic ketoacidosis*, prolonged fasting, severe carbohydrate restriction with normal fat intake (weight- reducing diets), anorexia nervosa, persistent vomiting, glycogen storage diseases, branched chain ketonuria, methylmalonic aciduria, exercise in untrained subjects, pregnancy, stress, post-anesthesia
  • states with markedly increased metabolic rates
    • high fever, severe thyrotoxicosis, active acromegaly
  • excessive hormone production/administration
    • growth hormone, ACTH, glucocorticoids, hyperinsulinism, catecholamines

More general terms

• urine dipstick