# Is a urine test alone enough to rule out Diabetes?



## Grimezy (Sep 10, 2019)

Hello!

Long story short'ish, my Doctor is trying to treat me for what he thinks are bladder infection issues that have started happening in the past few months. I'm a 26 year old male so I shouldn't really be having issues as much as I am. 

I saw him today again as my most recent bout of antibiotics have ran out and he thinks I may still have a UTI even though the lab culture test was negative and a dipstick now reads as clear. I'm grateful that he believes me as I've had doctors in the past tell me 'I just need to get on with life, everything should be fine now' but at the same time I'm not sure if antibiotics are the solution. I feel like the lab tests would show if it was a serious urine infection and this is the second time the labs test has come back negative and I always feel stupid and like I've been making the whole thing up.

I suggested testing for Diabetes to him and he thought that was a good idea because of my combined symptoms. To do this he just had me do a urine sample there and then to see if Glucose was present. This came back as negative so he ruled it out.

I'm just wondering, would a urine sample be impacted by if I had eaten or not that morning? I had purposefully fasted in case he wanted me to have bloods done and I completely forgot to ask him if that would have any impact on the sample.

Also, is a urine sample really reliable enough to diagnose? I had been under the impression that bloods would need to be done but I didn't want to question his judgement.

He wants to see if these antibiotics work and if not it looks like I'll be referred to a Urologist. It's just strange as I read the NHS Diabetes symptoms, a lot of the past few months were starting to make sense...

Thanks!


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## Drummer (Sep 10, 2019)

I was showing symptoms of glucose intolerance for many years and was a full fledged diabetic by the time I was diagnosed, and never had the slightest positive urine test.
If you want to test your blood glucose then obtaining a meter is not that expensive. I got a Tee 2 from Spirit Healthcare - the kit, and 150 extra strips, and a testing solution, which was under £40, though I got it free of VAT as I am a diagnosed diabetic.


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## Sally71 (Sep 10, 2019)

Urine tests are a waste of time, I really don't see why GPs persist in using them!  When I took my daughter to the GP suspecting diabetes, he did a urine test which was apparently normal.  Luckily he had the sense to book her in for blood tests as well, because less than a week later she was in hospital with the beginnings of DKA, urine now full of sugar and ketones and blood sugar off the scale.  If you really want to know what's going on you need blood tests.


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## Docb (Sep 10, 2019)

IIRC urine testing does not appear anywhere in the NICE guidelines for diagnosis of diabetes.


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## Flower (Sep 10, 2019)

Go along to a pharmacy and ask for a diabetes finger prick glucose test. The result is within a few seconds. It may not give an elevated glucose result however if it does you'll be advised to go back to your GP. If the result is in the non diabetic range it doesn't rule out diabetes but is a starting point.

Glucose doesn't spill over from the kidneys into the urine until blood sugar reaches about 10mmol/L- the urine may be from up to 4 -6 hours earlier and as blood glucose fluctuates throughout 24 hours it isn't a specific enough test to either rule in/rule out diabetes. An HbA1c blood test  gives an average of your blood sugar over approx the past 3 months- this is a much more useful test to look for diabetes.


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## SueEK (Sep 10, 2019)

I had a urine test as I thought I had urine infection, this showed glucose and because of that Dr did finger prick test which definitely suggested diabetes (as very high) this was then confirmed by HbA1c so for me yes the urine test was definitive.  I agree with @Flower that you should pop long to the pharmacy and get a finger prick test done as this will give a good indication.


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## everydayupsanddowns (Sep 11, 2019)

I am sure in clear cut cases it can give an indication. Conversely, my mum recently had a positive urine test for glucose, but when they checked HbA1c it showed completely normal levels - so positive urine test doesn’t really confirm anything. 

Thing is... it’s cheap. And perhaps the GP was trying to avoid the cost of a (possibly unnecessary) HbA1c. 

I agree it’s a rather outdated approach these days though and isn’t recommended in the T1 Guidelines.


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## louloulou (Sep 11, 2019)

I find the urine tests a waste of time mine  kept coming back saying I was fine it took a blood tests to show I was not fine and rushed to A and E


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## Grimezy (Sep 11, 2019)

Thank you all for your input, I think I will perhaps get some home tests or pop in and ask the pharmacy soon. I only really suspected diabetes because my mum had done a home urine test and it was showing Leukocytes, glucose and protein (she works as a care worker at a hospital so is pretty familiar with the tests). It had shown glucose multiple times on different occasions so I was surprised when the doctors came back negative. But then I hadn’t eaten at all that day and had only drank water so I wasn’t sure if that would impact the results. 

Ultimately I hope that it’s not diabetes! But I would like to know why I’m getting ill on a monthly basis to the point I’m having multiple antibiotics courses without actually finding the problem.


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## Ljc (Sep 11, 2019)

I suggest you have a fasting finger prick test at a pharmacy. 

If you want to buy a glucose meter. It’s the cost of the test strips you need to watch out for.  Those sold in chemists have strips that often cost £15 or more for a pot of 50.
Many here who are self funding there own often use this meter , it’s strips are £8 for 50.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Codefree-G...&linkId=f39210144fdc26c27738e45b6d957003&th=1


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