ABSTRACT
Ketone bodies is a term applied to three compounds that appear in blood and urine as a result of excessive lipid metabolism or minimal carbohydrate metabolism. The three compounds are acetone, acetoacetic acid, and betahydroxy-butyric acid. The latter two substances are present in blood as their salts rather than as free acids. An understanding of the intermediary metabolism of fat identifies the fact that in the metabolism of fatty acids, the liver converts fatly acids to the ketone bodies, betahydroxybutyric and acetoacetic acids. There are distinct advantages in the availability of convenient urine ketone test reagent strips for home use by diabetics and for those who have been taught to protect the material from heat and moisture. The specimen needs to be fresh, and testing needs to be carried out quite promptly. It is a fallacy that acetoacetic acid is rapidly converted to acetone, which in turn volatilizes and causes a positive reacting specimen to become negative.
