Testing for ketones in your urine

Key points

  • Home urine ketone testing lets people with Type 1 diabetes know if they are in danger of going into diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) (link to hyper Type 1)
  • Home urine glucose testing is now only recommended for those people who can't test their own blood glucose levels. It is a very inaccurate way of testing

Testing for ketones in your urine is an essential and very useful tool when you have Type 1 diabetes. It can save you a trip to hospital. It can save your life also. Having high levels of ketones in your body is a life threatening condition. Having ketone testing sticks and knowing how to use them enables you to pick up when your ketone levels are increasing. Once you know this is happening then you are able to manage it. See our high blood glucose Type 1 section for more on ketones and management.

What ketone sticks should I use?

For most purposes the individually foil wrapped ketone sticks that you can buy from many chemists and also through our Diabetes Supplies Ltd are the best. They are called 'Ketostix' and are made by Bayer. Because they are foil wrapped they are less likely to go off. Also it is easy to carry two or three strips in your blood glucose meter case. This way if you are out you will have them with you if you need them.

Remember to also carry the colour guide chart with them so if you do need to test you are able to read the result! Remember also to check the expiry date on your sticks every now and again. This avoids having expired sticks at the time you most need to know what your ketone levels are.

When should I test for ketones?

You should test for ketones in your urine when:

  • Your blood glucose is going up (at any level) and you are feeling unwell
  • Your blood glucose is greater than 17mmol/L and it is not coming down (even if you feel well)
  • You are unable to test your blood glucose but you feel unwell
  • You develop abdominal pain and/or nausea and vomiting

^ Back to top