Caption

Glucose urine-test. General practice doctor's gloved hands hold up a test stick dipped in urine, against a glucose chart. This is the Diastix test for glucose (sugar), conducted on the urine of a diabetic patient. A positive result for glucose is seen. Patients with diabetes lack the hormone insulin which breaks down glucose in the blood. The body thus has raised levels of blood glucose, and glucose is excreted in the urine. The levels of glucose in the urine help to establish how severe the diabetes is, and the type of treatment that is necessary.