October 30, 2001
Other
Question from New Braunfels, Texas, USA:
Do you think it might be possible for a urinalysis to show positive to alcohol in a person with type 2 diabetes who has with a high blood sugar and who had not had a drink of alcohol? If you know of any research of false positives because of elevated blood sugars, please let me know.
Answer:
I understand that alcohol may interfere with the glucose strips and may show up positive if alcohol is applied to it.
JS
[Editor’s comment: I believe that you may be referring to ketones in the urine. In the face of hyperglycemia, when there is not enough insulin, the body begins to burn fat which causes the ketones to spill into the urine.
Type 2 diabetes is a progressive disorder in which the pancreas eventually ceases to make enough insulin. Thus, the scenario as previously described.
SS]