Many kinds of urine tests can be used to monitor diabetes and diagnose complications. These include:

• Glucose test. Although no longer recommended for glucose monitoring, urine glucose tests can give a patient an estimated glucose reading when blood testing is not possible. Glucose is not normally detectable in urine unless blood glucose levels are above 180 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). Urine glucose tests should be conducted only when blood testing is impossible, because glucose blood tests with a glucose meter are more accurate and provide more information.
  
  
• Ketone test. Ketones are waste products not normally detectable in urine. The presence of ketones in the urine (ketonuria) is a sign that the body is burning fat for energy instead of glucose because it does not have enough insulin available (ketosis). The body cannot tolerate large amounts of ketones, and it tries to get rid of them through the urine. Although testing urine for ketones is considered very accurate, blood ketone testing more accurately detects some ketone bodies and may be preferred by some physicians. Ketone meters and combination glucose/ketone meters are available to measure ketones in the blood.
  
  
• Microalbuminuria test. Detects albumin, a protein that prevents fluid from leaking out of blood vessels, nourishes tissues and transports vitamins, hormones, drugs and ions throughout the body.  Protein is not normally detectable in urine. The presence of small amounts of protein in urine (microalbuminuria) is often an early sign of kidney disease. High levels of glucose (hyperglycemia) can damage the blood vessels in the kidneys, causing useful protein to be removed from the blood and lost in urine.

People with diabetes should be regularly tested for microalbuminuria rather than proteinuria (the presence of larger amounts of protein in urine) for early detection and prevention of kidney damage.

• Creatinine test. Measures the amount of creatinine in the urine. Creatinine is a waste product removed from the body by the kidneys. Abnormal amounts of creatinine may be a sign of kidney damage.
  
  
• White blood cell (leukocyte) test. Checks urine for the presence of white blood cells. The main infection-fighting cells in the body, white blood cells are not normally detectable in the urine. The presence of white blood cells in the urine may indicate a urinary tract infection (UTI).
  
  
• Nitrite test. Nitrite is normally not detectable in the urine. It is formed when bacteria changes nitrate in the urine into nitrite. The presence of nitrite in the urine (nitrituria) is often a sign of a UTI.
  
  
• Urine specific gravity test. Measures the concentration of particles in the urine. Abnormally increased or decreased urine specific gravity may indicate a kidney disorder.
  
  
• Urine pH test. Measures the pH (acidity or alkalinity) of the urine. The normal value in the 0-14 scale, with 7 being neutral, ranges from 4.6 to 8. Urine pH may be lower (more acidic) in the morning and higher after meals. Abnormally alkaline urine (high pH) may indicate a UTI or kidney disorder, including kidney failure. Abnormally acidic urine (low pH) may indicate diabetic ketoacidosis.