March 17, 2004
Other
Question from Adelaide, South Australia:
My daughter had her first bladder infection, which was treated with antibiotics. She had been experiencing bed wetting after having been dry for over one year and was frequently passing urine. Her results were tested and they came back with the outcome that the antibiotic was the correct action. One week had passed and the same problems have occurred. Thinking that she had had a rebound of her urinary track infection, I took a sample to the doctor’s for the nurse to check as I already had a repeat prescription for her antibiotic. I was surprised to hear that there was no blood present, but ketones were, and she was complaining of a burning sensation.
I was advised to have it looked at. Does this mean she has diabetes? Apart from diet changes, what else can cause ketones? Her diet is mixed and balanced. She is not on a high protein, low carbohydrate diet.
Answer:
The presence of ketones means she was “starving, ” getting fewer calories than she needed at the time. Her body was making ketones to get energy. These come from fat. This is a normal reaction to fasting or too little to eat. It happens in diabetes when insulin is inadequate and the cells are hungry. I doubt it, alone, means diabetes since the glucose needs to be high, too.
LD
