Glucose in urine – what does it mean and how to detect it?

Proven content

The presence of glucose in the urine is important information for the physician and the patient as it is an abnormal condition. While blood glucose levels may or may not be normal, this sugar should not be present in the urine at all. An exception may be pregnancy, but the correctness of the results should be assessed by a doctor. What might glucose in my urine indicate?

Normal glucose levels

Glucose is one of the simple sugars and is used by the human body as one of the basic energy sources. It is a very easily digestible compound, and its level is measured during blood tests – too high or too low a concentration is usually an indicator of disorders or diseases. In a healthy person, glucose should not appear in the urine.

If your urine test results show glucose, you are likely to have symptoms such as malaise and recurring infections. In this case, it is also necessary to measure blood glucose – in an adult fasting, the parameter should be in the range of 70–99 mg / dl.

1. Read more about blood glucose.

What does glucose in urine mean?

Urine sugar (diabetes mellitus) is disturbing information that most often means diabetes. Low levels of glucose in urine occur in pregnancy and may not be a disturbing signal. However, the medical opinion is extremely important, because such a result is often associated with gestational diabetes as well. The appearance of glucose in the urine may be caused by inappropriate treatment of your diabetes or by stopping your medication.

However, it should be remembered that glucose is visualized in the urine at blood concentrations exceeding 180 mg / dl. So if the urine test is normal, it does not completely rule out diabetes, and blood glucose testing is necessary.

Other reasons for detecting glucose in the urine are quite rare kidney problems, such as malabsorption of this sugar in the kidneys. It may also be accompanied by Fanconi syndrome, a defect that causes problems with the absorption of other substances, including proteins and uric acid.

Abnormalities sometimes indicate other problems, including alcohol abuse, high levels of stress, the use of certain medications, poisoning and pituitary disorders. Glucosuria may also be caused by improper preparation of the container with urine for testing.

In summary, glucose in your urine can mean:

1. type 1 diabetes, type II diabetes or gestational diabetes;
2. a properly running pregnancy – glucose does not necessarily mean diabetes;
3. damage to the renal tubules (renal glucosuria);
4. liver disease;
5. diseases of the pituitary gland;
6. poisoning;
7. hyperglycemia caused by stress, heart attack or stroke;
8. taking medications with side effects of glucosuria;
9. false test result (e.g. contaminated urine container).

Glucose in urine – how to detect it?

Most of the irregularities related to the composition of urine detected by general urine examination. It allows for the assessment of color, specific gravity, pH and color, i.e. the basic parameters that enable the assessment of the functioning of the urinary system. Additionally, a laboratory test of the sample can detect the presence of components that should not be in the urine. Belong to them:

1. glucose;
2. protein;
3. ketone bodies;
4. leukocytes;
5. erythrocytes;
6. bile pigments;
7. cylinders with a specific structure and made of specific components (e.g. fat, epithelium, blood cells);
8. crystals;
9. bacteria – their precise evaluation is possible thanks to urine culture.

1. Check when urine cultures should be performed.

Preparation for measuring glucose in urine

Urine glucose test requires proper preparation and paying attention to factors that may affect the result. The first thing to remember is the need to have a sterile container in which to urinate in the morning. It is equally important to know that the finished sample must be delivered to the laboratory on the same day – within two hours.

The general urinalysis requires adherence to several recommendations, without interfering with the risk of bias. Some issues should be discussed with the prescribing physician. It is mainly about the possibility of taking certain medications (e.g. phenytoin) or diuretics. Women should not donate the sample during or just before their menstruation.

The test requires the patient to be fasted at the time of sample collection (minimum eight hours after the last meal). He should also not eat food that may discolour his urine (beetroot, carrots, rhubarb, blueberries) within 24 hours. The first morning urine from the middle stream should be placed in a container bought in a pharmacy, after taking care of hygiene. Hands and urethral area should be washed with warm soapy water.

Urine test price, during which attention is paid to the possible presence of glucose, is within the range of PLN 5–15.

When to test glucose in urine?

Standard urinalysis is routinely performed in healthy patients and is recommended for prophylaxis at least once a year. With any such test, the results will include glucose in the urine, if it is observed.

1. Also read what ketone bodies in urine can testify to.

For a follow-up urinalysis, taking into account the suspicion high glucose levels it is also worth reporting when the patient develops the following symptoms:

1. weakness and chronic fatigue;
2. somnolence;
3. increased need for fluids, also thirst at night;
4. pollakiuria;
5. weight loss;
6. frequent headaches;
7. dry skin or itching;
8. extended wound healing time;
9. unpleasant sour smell from the mouth.

General indications for testing the urine composition are also chronic diseases, e.g. cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, polycystic ovary syndrome, urolithiasis, liver and kidney diseases, and diabetes.