Lab test · Urine
Urine Ketones
Ketones, diabetes & fasting
- Urine sample
- No fasting
- Report within 24 hours
- Home collection
What this test is for
Ketones, diabetes & fasting
Ketones are made when the body burns fat for energy because it cannot get enough from sugar (glucose). This happens when insulin is lacking in diabetes, but also with long fasting, prolonged vomiting or a very low-carbohydrate diet. This urine test shows whether ketones are present and roughly how much, which helps a doctor judge how the body is coping.
Why a doctor may order it
- In diabetes, when blood sugar is high or you feel unwell
- Vomiting, tummy pain or fast breathing in someone with diabetes
- Severe vomiting in pregnancy
- Prolonged vomiting or poor eating in a child
- Long periods of fasting or a very low-carbohydrate diet
How to prepare
Fasting: Not needed.
You do not need to fast for this test. Collect a midstream urine sample in the sterile container provided, ideally the first urine of the morning, unless your doctor asks for a sample taken while you feel unwell. Keep taking your usual medicines, including diabetes medicines, unless your doctor says otherwise.
At home
- Sample
- Urine sample
- How it works
- Use the sterile container provided. Start passing urine into the toilet, catch the middle part of the stream in the container, then finish in the toilet. Close the lid firmly and hand the container to the collector at your home.
- Report
- Within 24 hours of collection.
What the results can mean
The report shows ketones as negative or as a graded amount, for example trace, small, moderate or large. Small amounts can appear after fasting or vomiting. In someone with diabetes, larger amounts of ketones with high blood sugar can be a sign of diabetic ketoacidosis, which needs urgent medical care. Your doctor will interpret the result with your blood sugar and symptoms.
What's included
One test: Urine Ketones, from one urine sample.
Related tests
- Urine Sugar (Urine Glucose)Sugar in urine৳100
- Urine Routine Examination (Urine R/E)A urine routine examination, also called urinalysis, looks at your urine in three ways: its appearance, its chemistry (such as protein, sugar and acidity) and, under a microscope, any cells, crystals or bacteria.
- Random Blood Sugar (RBS)A random blood sugar test measures the glucose in your blood at any time of day, whenever you last ate.
- HbA1c (Glycated Haemoglobin)HbA1c measures how much of the haemoglobin in your red blood cells has glucose (sugar) attached to it.
- Serum ElectrolytesThis test measures sodium, potassium, chloride and bicarbonate in your blood.
- Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS)This test measures the glucose (sugar) in your blood after you have not eaten for several hours, usually overnight.
Questions people ask
What do ketones in urine mean for someone with diabetes?
They can mean the body is short of insulin and is breaking down fat instead. With high blood sugar and symptoms such as vomiting, this can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis, which needs urgent treatment.
Can fasting cause ketones in urine?
Yes. Long fasting, including during Ramadan, can cause mild ketones in people without diabetes. This is usually harmless, but your doctor will look at the whole picture.
Is a blood ketone test better than a urine ketone test?
Blood ketone tests show the current level and are often preferred for managing diabetes emergencies. Urine tests are simple and useful for checking, but they reflect ketones made over the previous few hours.
When should someone with ketones get urgent help?
If you have diabetes and ketones together with vomiting, tummy pain, fast or deep breathing, confusion or unusual drowsiness, seek urgent medical help.
How much does a Urine ketones test cost in Dhaka?
With Mukti Health the price is ৳150, and the sample is collected at your home in Dhaka. You see the price again before you confirm the booking in the Mukti Health app.
Can I do the Urine ketones test at home in Dhaka?
Yes. Book it in the Mukti Health app and a trained sample collector comes to your home in Dhaka to take the urine sample. You do not need to go to a laboratory.
How long does the Urine ketones report take?
The report is usually ready within 24 hours of the sample being collected.