Abstract
To investigate the value of home urine glucose testing in assessing chronic diabetic glucose control, the authors compared patients’ glycosuria patterns with their mean blood glucose (MBG) levels calculated from glycosylated hemoglobin (Hb Alc). One hundred and twenty-one patients who regularly checked their urines reported on the frequencies of glycosuria over the preceding ten weeks. There was substantial overlap in the glycosuria patterns of patients at different levels of MBG. Glycosuria was not detectable in only 44% of patients with good control (MBG ≤ 150 mg/dl). The probability of such good control given no glycosuria was only 26%. Similarly, frequent glycosuria was reported by only 27% of patients with poor control (MGB > 250 mg/dl). The probability of such poor control given frequent glycosuria was only 34%. Because home urine testing cannot reliably identify good or poor control, it has a very limited role in assessing patients’ chronic glucose control.
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Received from the Primary Care Program of the General Internal Medicine Unit, Medical Practice Evaluation Unit, Diabetes Unit and Medical Services, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School; Boston, Massachusetts.
An erratum to this article is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02596145.
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Goodson, J.D., Singer, D.E., Hurxthal, K. et al. The limited clinical value of home urine testing by diabetic patients. J Gen Intern Med 1, 243–247 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02596192
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02596192