urinalysis / diabetes?!

[Joseph Bloggs]

What do the docs at OASC check for in the urinalysis?

I have passed the RAF Part 1 medical which includes a urine sample. If I was diabeteic would I have failed that?

I drink excessive amounts of caffeine on a daily basis as I have irregular eat/ sleep times.

So is it during the urine sample or the blood test when they test for it?

[caniplaywithmadness]

Sugar in urine is an indicator that you may be diabetic, but it is not always the case, the dip test checks for sugar but the blood tests will also check sugar levels to determine if you are a diabetic.

If you're not sure, the best thing to do is for the 24 hours prior to the blood tests, don't have anything that conatins high amounts of sugar, that includes breakfast cereals.

Excessive amounts of caffeine can cause an irregular heartbeat, so I would advise caffeine free for the week prior to any ECG tests, just to get it out of your system and let your heart resume its natural rythmn.

If there is any doubt about you heart, you will probably have to have a 24 hour ecg, which is basically a load of electrodes strapped to your chest and you walk round with a monitor (in a bumbag) around your waist.

Just don't try and board a passenger aircraft with all this kit strapped to you unless you have a letter confirming what it is from the Doc's at Cranwell

[chuks]

If you show sugar levels high enough to register on that little dipstick into your urine then you are probably diabetic, according to what I was told.

There is another test, the Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT) that you may wish to try, just to set your mind at ease.

The way it works: You fast for a certain period of time before reporting to the clinic. There a nurse takes a blood sample to check for the resting level of glucose. Then you drink a measured quantity of fruit juice containing a specific quantity of glucose and go away for a certain period of time. When you return another blood sample is taken to check the new level of glucose. It may be the case that this test shows up a condition known as glucose intolerance, the pre-cursor to adult onset (Type II) diabetes.

The levels of glucose this condition involves will not show up on the basic urinalysis. That's for people who are already diabetic. On the other hand, if you know you have this condition you can change your lifestyle and diet to prevent coming down with Type II diabetes.

If you are totally freaked out about this you can buy or borrow one of those gadgets that measures glucose levels, buy a GTT kit, read the directions and do it yourself with no one the wiser. But, given the rules about medical confidentiality, I don't see a problem with doing a GTT.

You will be a lot better off having done a GTT if there is any question in your mind about all this. The only downside is, all your friends will think you have a social disease when you quit drinking!

[gingernut]

Jo Bloggs, I'm a bit confused.

Do you think you have diabetes, because you are drinking a lot ? Are you drinking a lot because you are thirsty, or out of need to stay awake ? Do you have any other symptoms ?

The urinalysis test you mentioned does test for glucose in the urine, amongst other things. If this is negative, and you have no other symptoms, then it is unlikely that you have diabetes.

As far as I know, the blood test you mention, does not test for diabetes. (If you have no symptoms + you have a ngative urinalysis, there is no need.)

It sounds like you have nothing to worry about. If you have any concerns, talk to your GP who can arrange a fasting blood sugar test, which is slightly more accurate than the urine test.

[Northern Chique]

Urinalysis

- checks for protiens - positive reading may indicate a range of problems from infection to dehydration (most folks are dehydrated to some respect) to kidney malfunction.

- checks for BGL - blood glucose levels - food is broken down into its simplest componants, one of those being glucose. Glucose is used by the cells as part of the energy equation to enable each cell to function. The highest consumer of simple glucose molecules is the brain... As an energy requirement, the body stores glucose both in the liver, and also as fats. The body produces insulin on detection of increasing glucose in the blood. Insulin is the "keyholder" that allows the cell to uptake the glucose molecule. Without insulin or insufficient insulin to convert the glucose to a useable or storable form, the free glucose levels in the blood becomes elevated.

Normally the body stores glucose, but when high levels are detected over an extended period of time, the body tries to eliminate it like it would any other toxin. So folks with elevated blood glucose tend to go through a range of symptoms as their body tries to correct the problem. They tend to drink heaps of fluids to dilute the glucose, pee lots trying to eliminate it, are prone to bouts of nausea, drowsy, and a number of other symptoms. Headaches are common.

BGL's are easily tested with a drop of blood on a detector "stick". There are both handheld electronic machines, to full on blood profiling analysis units used by clinics, hospitals and labs. For the purposes of setting "normal" limits, the accepted range is 3.5 to 8 milllimoles per litre.

I operate quite normally between 2.5 to 3, but get the low sugar crankies fairly easily if Im without a meal for a number of hours. Folks with above 8 are a whole diffferent ball game though. Glucose in high levels, is a cellular irritant. It attacks the blood vessel walls slowly and over time causes scarring and encourages blood turbulance and clotting. This affects the whole body systems including heart, lungs, brain muscle and nerves. This is made worse when high levels of the nasty cholesterols are also present to compound the problem. Uncontrolled diabetes is a nightmare of epic proportions and is a slow way to die. Death from diabetes complications often ranges from a clot forming in an aterial structure, such as the heart, and causes blockages leading to strokes, accute heart failure (pain may not be felt as the nerve endings have been fried otherwise known as a silent Accute myocardial infarct) so all the warnings may not be apparent to the patient. Kidney failure is also common.

So the long and the short of the glucose test in the urine.... to catch diabetes or kidney damage early...

- Drug metabolites - Apart from a residual drugs check, there is another common check performed with a urine specimen - a pregnancy test. One chappy I knew of tried to bypass his test that would have revealed his recent drug use and had a friend "donate" a urine specimen for his drug check.

The nurse came out and stated "sir you will be happy to know you are drug free on this check, and you will be extra delighted to know you are pregnant!"

Needless to say he was sacked.