Glucose - urine

Alternative names:

urine glucose; urine sugar

How the test is performed:

Urine glucose is usually measured as a "spot test" with a dipstick containing a color-sensitive pad impregnated with specific chemicals which react with glucose. The resulting color is indicative of the glucose concentration.

If a 24-hour urine sample is needed.
The health care provider will instruct you, if necessary, to discontinue drugs that may interfere with the test.

• On day 1, urinate into the toilet upon arising in the morning.
• Collect all subsequent urine (in a special container) for the next 24-hours.
• On day 2, urinate into the container in the morning upon arising.
• Cap the container. Keep it in the refrigerator or a cool place during the collection period. Label the container with your name, the date, the time of completion, and return it as instructed.

Infant:
Thoroughly wash the area around the urethra. Open a urine collection bag (a plastic bag with an adhesive paper on one end), and place it on your infant. For males, the entire penis can be placed in the bag and the adhesive attached to the skin. For females, the bag is placed over the labia. Place a diaper over the infant (bag and all). The infant should be checked frequently and the bag changed after the infant has urinated into the bag. For active infants, this procedure may take a couple of attempts--lively infants can displace the bag, causing an inability to obtain the specimen. The urine is drained into the container for transport to the laboratory.

Deliver it to the laboratory or your health care provider as soon as possible upon completion.

The health care provider should be consulted if taking any drugs that may affect test results (see special considerations).

How to prepare for the test:

Discontinue drugs that may interfere with the test (see Special Considerations).

No special preparation is necessary for this test, but if the collection is being taken from an infant, a couple of extra collection bags may be necessary.

How the test will feel:

The test involves only normal urination, and there is no discomfort.

Why the test is performed:

This test is most commonly used as a screening test for possible diabetes mellitus or to monitor control of blood glucose in diabetes.

Most dietary carbohydrate eventually ends up as glucose in the blood. Excess glucose is converted to glycogen for storage by the liver and skeletal muscles after meals. Glycogen is gradually broken down to glucose and released into the blood by the liver between meals.

Glucose is a major source of energy for most cells of the body. Some cells (for example, brain and red blood cells), are almost totally dependent on blood glucose as a source of energy. The brain, in fact, requires that glucose concentrations in the blood remain within a certain range in order to function normally. Concentrations less than about 30 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) or greater than about 300 mg/dl can produce confusion or unconsciousness.

The major hormone regulating glucose concentration in the body is insulin (although other hormones such as glucagon, epinephrine, and cortisol, also affect it). Glucose levels are measured most commonly to diagnose diabetes or to monitor adequacy of diabetic control. Diabetes is a very common disease; affecting about 2% of the general population. Diabetes results from deficient insulin or sensitivity to insulin. Type I diabetics require daily injections of insulin. Injection of too much or too little insulin can be dangerous.