Two main situations
The first is diabetes mellitus: with a lack of insulin, cells cannot absorb glucose and the body begins to break down fats, accumulating ketone bodies. The appearance of acetone in the urine of a person with diabetes against a background of high sugar is an alarming sign of developing ketoacidosis, a condition requiring immediate medical attention. The second situation is acetone syndrome in children: ketones appear during fasting, infection with high fever, vomiting, or after an error in nutrition, while sugar remains normal. Here the condition is usually corrected by drinking regimen and glucose. This is why the acetone test is almost always assessed along with glucose levels.
Why preparation is so important
The laboratory result is a number, but the correct number can only be obtained if the rules are followed. Eating changes the levels of glucose, lipids and a number of enzymes significantly; physical activity the day before increases CK and AST; smoking affects hormones; time of day is critical for cortisol and testosterone.
Therefore, a “bad analysis” often turns out to be a consequence of impaired preparation, and not an illness, and leads to unnecessary examinations and prescriptions.
General rules for donating blood
- on an empty stomach 8–12 hours, you can drink water
- Eliminate alcohol and intense exercise per day
- no smoking in an hour
- donate blood before physiotherapy, x-rays and massage
- Take medications in advance by agreeing with your doctor
- for hormones in women, take into account the day of the cycle
How to read the result
Reference values depend on the method and equipment of the laboratory, so it is correct to compare results only within the same laboratory. A deviation of a few percent from the normal limit in itself rarely matters - the overall picture and dynamics are important. It is up to the physician to interpret the analysis: an isolated indicator without a clinical context is often misleading.