Glucosuria in children with diabetes: advantages of the 2-drop Clinitest method

In order to assess the actual and theoretical limitations of using the traditional urinary glucose determinations as an indicator of plasma glucose concentration, we have measured plasma and urine glucose concentrations in 37 children with diabetes mellitus. A constant blood withdrawal system enabled an accurate estimate of the glucose concentration presented to the renal glomerulus over the 30-min period of blood collection and urine formation. The theoretical range of plasma glucose over which the 5-Drop and 2-Drop Clinitest methods are sensitive is 32 mg/dl and 81 mg/dl, respectively. This suggests that the 2-Drop method is the procedure of chioce for most insulin-dependent diabetic patients. Nevertheless, the extremely wide range of plasma glucose corresponding to a given urinary glucose measurement limits the precision with which any single urine test can be interpreted.