Checking for ketones
Ketones in your urine or blood are a sign that your insulin level is too low. Your body may produce ketones when you don't have enough insulin to get the sugar out of your blood and into your cells.
One way for the cells to get fuel for energy in the absence of sugar is to break down fat or other tissues. Ketones are a product of this breakdown process.
Ketones are more likely to occur in people with type 1 diabetes. But people with type 2 diabetes can get high ketones too. Check for ketones if your blood sugar is over 240 mg/dL, and also whenever you are sick. Call your diabetes care team right away if you have ketones and don't know what to do.
High blood sugar levels with ketones can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis, or DKA. This is a serious medical condition that must be treated immediately. It often develops slowly. But when vomiting occurs, life-threatening ketoacidosis can develop within a few hours. If you have any symptoms of ketoacidosis, such as nausea or vomiting or weakness, check for ketones and call your diabetes care team right away, or go to the closest hospital emergency room.
