Sugar in a child’s urine is an alarming signal and indicates a violation of carbohydrate metabolism. In a healthy person, urine contains practically no glucose; its presence indicates a pathological health disorder.
The minimum and acceptable amount of sugar in urine is from 0.06 to 0.08 mmol/liter. The complete absence of glucose is considered a normal condition, which is observed in absolutely healthy people. If glucose appears in the urine, this phenomenon is called glucosuria.
A sharp increase in sugar levels in the urine can be caused by impaired kidney function or improper functioning of the endocrine system. Glucosuria is dangerous because it is a precursor to the development of diabetes mellitus.
Sugar level in urine
To check the glucose level in a child's urine, special diagnostic strips are used. If sugar is low or completely absent, the strip, when exposed to biological material, acquires a greenish tint and reaches a certain mark. This indicates that urine sugar levels do not exceed 1.7 mmol/liter.
In case of slightly elevated results, you can see a mark in the range from 1.7 to 2.8 mmol/liter. In this case, the doctor diagnoses a small amount of sugar.
Glucose during pregnancy
Expert opinion
Kovaleva Elena Anatolyevna
Doctor-Laboratory Assistant. 14 years of experience in clinical diagnostic services.
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Quite a dangerous and alarming phenomenon during this period. If the increase in glucose is minor and does not exceed 8 mmol/l , the doctor may simply advise you to adjust your diet and reduce physical activity.
This helps relieve the renal system, which suffers the most during pregnancy.
If this indicator remains the same or increases, it is necessary to exclude diabetes mellitus . This disease can develop independently during pregnancy due to hormonal changes and depressed kidney function.
How to collect urine for analysis
Urine collection for analysis is done in the morning, before meals. Children should not eat food 12 hours before the test. Also the day before you need to temporarily avoid physical activity and drink plenty of fluids. The child should not cry or experience stress for a long time, otherwise this may distort the actual results of the analysis.
Children under 1 year old should be tested twice - at three months and when they are one year old. This will allow you to obtain information about the child’s health status before routine vaccination.
Older children can undergo examination once a year; this is necessary in order to assess the child’s health and prevent the development of any diseases in time. If there is a suspicion of pathology, additional analysis is performed.
- A special plastic cup, which is sold in pharmacies, is suitable for carrying urine.
- Before collecting urine, the child must wash himself thoroughly to prevent bacteria from entering.
- The first small portion of urine must be released, the rest of the liquid is collected in a prepared container.
- It is important to consider that the day before the procedure you should not eat vegetables and fruits that change the color of your urine. This includes temporarily stopping taking vitamins and medications.
Pathological reasons
High sugar levels in urine can be hereditary or acquired. In particular, this contributes to:
- development of diabetes mellitus;
- pancreatitis;
- pathological conditions of the renal system: problems and disruptions in the functioning of organs lead to sugar entering the urine;
- hyperthyroidism: increased secretion in the thyroid gland. An increase in hormonal levels leads to the breakdown of glycogen, and sugar is found in the urine;
- increased consumption of carbohydrate foods: pancreatic strength is depleted, insulin levels drop. This is how an acquired type of diabetes can manifest itself;
- stress: this condition causes the release of hormones, which affects the growth of glucose;
- severe types of infections. In children, sugar may increase after infectious diseases such as rubella and whooping cough.
Increased sugar is possible in children who get used to mother's milk, which is not a pathological condition.
Symptoms indicating high sugar levels
- strong thirst;
- irritation, concentrated itching;
- increased frequency of urination;
- weight loss;
- constant sleepy state;
- the appearance of problems with dry skin;
- persistent feeling of fatigue.
All these signs require an appointment with a doctor for further research and detection of the diagnosis or its refutation.
Conducting additional research
If the first test shows elevated sugar results, the doctor will order an additional test to confirm the diagnosis. To do this, determine the level of glucose in daily urine and perform a glucose tolerance test.
In the first case, urine is collected throughout the day in a special sterile container. Collecting biological material begins in the morning, with the second portion. The collection ends the next morning, when the first morning portion of urine is collected. To carry out the analysis, you need to obtain at least 100 ml of liquid. In this way, the daily glucose output is determined.
A glucose load test is performed in the clinic. The child drinks a certain amount of glucose solution based on body weight. After a certain period, blood sugar levels are measured.
Thanks to this analysis, it is possible to detect the presence of insufficient insulin secretion and find out whether the child has diabetes mellitus.
Substance concentration 28 mmol/l
Expert opinion
Kovaleva Elena Anatolyevna
Doctor-Laboratory Assistant. 14 years of experience in clinical diagnostic services.
Ask a question to an expert
A very serious and alarming signal for the body. He can only talk about the presence of diabetes mellitus or about the beginning of a hormonal imbalance.
With this level in urine, the most often diagnosed glucose level in the blood is 9-11 mmol . It is important to monitor the dynamics of the patient’s condition. This will allow you to notice the emerging disease in time and prescribe an appropriate treatment plan.
All about treatment
Young children who are faced with this pathological condition must strictly follow a diet
Noting the features of the presented nutrition, it is necessary to pay attention to the sufficient ratio of carbohydrates, which is aimed at ensuring proper physical development. This is what will make it possible to exclude any problematic conditions in the pregnant woman and child associated with glucose levels - this can be not only hypoglycemia, but also hyperglycemia
To do this, it is strongly recommended to take into account the degree of physical activity and the penetration of carbohydrate components from food. Other sources containing something additional, such as vitamin complexes, may also be taken into account. We should not forget that there are certain, quite strict rules for collecting urine for sugar. In case of aggravated course of the pathological condition, we are talking about prescribing a treatment that makes it possible to eliminate the manifestations of the disease.
In the case when glucosuria begins to excrete a large amount of sugar and, naturally, a significant decrease in blood glucose levels occurs, it is compensated for by intravenous administration. If dehydration of the body is noted, then special solutions with mineral components are introduced dropwise. In addition, a diet is prescribed that is rich in potassium, for example, dried fruits. Of course, such a diet should be monitored by a specialist to avoid the development of complications and any consequences.
To avoid complications and critical consequences, it is strongly recommended to start treatment as early as possible. Otherwise, the pathological condition will lead to dehydration, which will significantly worsen the condition of the diabetic.
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When the result may be false positive
In addition to genital hygiene, before passing urine, you need to prepare properly by adjusting your diet. If a child eats a lot of sweets the day before, the sugar level in the urine may be quite high, but this will not indicate a problem (especially if an overabundance of sweet foods is a rare occurrence for the baby).
Also, the intake of various pharmacological products will contribute to distortion of laboratory test results. For example, tannin, salicylic acid, senna extract, saccharin, and caffeine greatly affect normal levels.
There is one more important nuance: the result may be false negative. This means that the child has severe glycosuria, but laboratory tests did not reveal a problem. The most common reason why this happened is that the child consumed a large amount of ascorbic acid the day before.
How to normalize?
To remove glucose from urine, it is necessary to find out the reasons for its appearance. To do this, you need to contact your pediatrician to prescribe additional examination and treatment. There are general rules for normalizing sugar levels that parents should implement into their child’s life on their own:
- Balanced diet: limiting foods rich in light carbohydrates, especially if the child is overweight.
- Exercise and moderate exercise.
- Well-established daily routine.
If the measures taken do not have a positive effect, you need to contact your pediatrician again. Self-medication in this case will harm the child’s health.
ethnoscience
There are traditional methods to reduce glucose levels. They are often used as an adjunct to primary treatment. But it is necessary to use folk remedies only after consulting a specialist. The most common recipes:
- Dandelion roots with herbs Pour boiling water over finely chopped dandelion roots, nettle and blueberry leaves and leave for a week. Drink a small amount of decoction before meals.
- Oat Decoction Pour a glass of peeled oats with boiling water (5 glasses), simmer for an hour over low heat, strain. Drink a glass of decoction before meals.
Medication method
Before prescribing medication, the doctor must make an accurate diagnosis. Often, when sugar levels are high, insulin therapy is prescribed in parallel with the diet. This treatment makes it possible to control the condition of a small patient. Parents should remember that diabetes is a very dangerous disease, which if left untreated can result in the death of the patient.
Diet
Doctors recommend removing sweets and carbohydrate foods from the child’s daily menu during therapy. Dishes for children are steamed, grilled or simply boiled. The list of permitted foods and dishes is clarified with the doctor; the diet of each child can be individual. The range of foods acceptable for children with diabetes is almost the same as the menu for healthy children.
It is worth giving up:
- Glucose in urine during pregnancy: causes, norm
- egg yolks;
- sour cream;
- pasta;
- rice cereal;
- potatoes;
- semolina;
- salt.
In the morning it is better to give the child:
- porridge from coarse cereals (buckwheat, oatmeal);
- rye or white wheat bread with bran.
For lunch:
- lean fish meat;
- lamb;
- rabbit meat;
- boiled turkey;
- beef;
- first courses on not rich broths.
In the evening, preference should be given to low-fat dairy products: skim milk, kefir, cottage cheese.
Advice! For cooking, you should choose vegetable fats.
Types of glucosuria
The table below clearly demonstrates all types of pathology and the circumstances under which they occur.
Type of glucosuria | Description |
Renal | Causes: congenital kidney pathologies. Symptoms: feeling of hunger, constant weakness, fatigue. Acetone may increase. A diet limiting sweet foods is recommended; Canephron and other drugs are prescribed to correct kidney function. |
Renal | There is sugar in urine, but usually not in blood. Reason: problems with the absorption of glucose by the kidney structures. Distribution of pathology: nephrosis, renal failure. In particularly advanced cases, patients are prescribed total detoxification therapy, drips |
Daily allowance | Sugar in the urine is recorded only at a certain time in the daily dose. Reason: stress, overeating |