What does it mean to have ketones in your urine?
What does it mean to have ketones in your urine?
If your cells don’t get enough glucose, your body burns fat for energy instead. This produces a substance called ketones, which can show up in your blood and urine. High ketone levels in urine may indicate diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a complication of diabetes that can lead to a coma or even death.
What should I do if I have ketones in my urine?
Talk to your doctor immediately if your urine results show moderate or large amounts of ketones. This is a sign that your diabetes is out of control, or that you are getting sick. If you are unable to reach your diabetes care team, head for the emergency room or an urgent care facility.
Can dehydration cause ketones in urine?
Dehydration. High blood sugar levels, which lead to high ketone levels, significantly increase urination and can lead to dehydration.
Is a trace of ketones in urine bad?
The ketones end up in your blood and urine. It’s normal to have a small amount of ketones in your body. But high ketone levels could result in serious illness or death.
Why do I have ketones in my urine if I’m not diabetic?
People without diabetes can also have ketones in the urine if their body is using fat for fuel instead of glucose. This can happen with chronic vomiting, extreme exercise, low-carbohydrate diets, or eating disorders.
What diseases cause ketones in the urine?
The causes of high levels of ketones and therefore ketones in your urine include:
- Poorly controlled diabetes.
- Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).
- Starvation: not eating for prolonged periods (for example, 12 to 18 hours).
- Anorexia nervosa.
- Bulimia nervosa.
- Alcohol dependency.
- Ketogenic diet (high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet).
Why would a non diabetic have ketones in their urine?
Are ketones present in a UTI?
Leukocyte esterase shows leukocytes ( white blood cells [WBCs] ) in the urine. WBCs in the urine may mean a UTI is present. Ketones. When fat is broken down for energy, the body makes substances called ketones (or ketone bodies).
