As a diabetic, it is important to pay close attention to your health by having frequent physicals especially ketones in urine causes a number of different complications but each of them can be prevented easily. Within this article we are going to discuss the dangers of ketones in urine and what this can cause for diabetics. Although diabetes is a very common condition in the USA today and throughout the rest of the world as well, this is not to say that it is a mild condition or something to be taken lightly. No matter how old you are, when you live with diabetes there are many health risks and dangers you need to be aware of in order to do what you can to eliminate them from your life altogether.

Ketones in urine causes your body to begin burning fat for energy instead of glucose. As you can imagine, this is quite common in diabetics. When your body doesn’t know what to do with blood glucose or insulin it is not going to function properly and in order to get the energy it needs it will find another source, such as the excess fat cells within your body. There is no real way to know just how many or much ketones are within your blood stream until you test the amount in your urine. This is a sure way to understand the severity of your situation and as a diabetic this is a test you will have done on a regular basis.

Because high levels of ketones in the body can actually be poisonous, the first and only symptom of high ketone levels is illness. Ketoacidosis is a very serious condition that stems from this principle. When the ketones in your system become too overloaded you could be lined up for serious conditions such as diabetic coma and even death. This particular condition is rare for people living with type 1 diabetes, but it can potentially happen to anyone with diabetes, no matter what age or how long they have had this condition. Luckily this is a very slow developing condition so if you are familiar with the warning signs you can potentially prevent it from happening at all.

Ketones in Urine Causes Ketoacidosis – warning signs

• Extreme thirst
• Dry mouth
• High blood glucose levels
• High levels of ketones in urine
• Nausea, vomiting
• Abdominal pain
• Difficulty breathing
• Fruity odor on breath

This is just a brief list of possible symptoms and warning signs for this condition but any two of these together should be presented to your physician’s attention immediately. There is actually a very simple way you can check for ketone levels from the comfort of your own home. Test strips are sold over the counter today and can be used in a similar fashion to blood testing strips. Your chosen health care professional will likely advise you to test your urine if your blood glucose is more than 240 mg/dl; this puts you in a high risk zone.

Further info on ketones in urine causes ketoacidosis

Ketones in urine when pregnant presents other problems which will be covered further in another article about ketones in urine during pregnancy at a later date.

Lastly, if after testing you find that your ketone levels are higher than normal your very first call should be to your physician who may further test blood ketones. Ketones in urine causes a number of different complications but each of them can be prevented.