Ascorbic acid and test strip reactions for haematuria.

Area of Science:

• Clinical chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Medical diagnostics

Background:

• Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is a common dietary supplement.
• Ascorbic acid can interfere with various diagnostic tests, including urine dipstick assays.
• Accurate detection of haematuria is crucial for diagnosing urinary tract diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the in vitro inhibitory effect of ascorbic acid on commercial haematuria test strips.
• To evaluate the performance of a new iodate-containing test strip in the presence of ascorbic acid.

Main Methods:

• In vitro experiments were conducted to assess test strip reactions.
• Commercial test strips and a novel iodate-based test strip were exposed to varying concentrations of ascorbic acid.
• Haematuria detection was measured in the presence and absence of ascorbic acid.

Main Results:

• Commercial test strips showed a significant inhibitory effect from ascorbic acid, leading to false-negative results.
• The new iodate-containing test strip demonstrated complete insensitivity to high concentrations of ascorbic acid.
• The iodate-based strip maintained accurate haematuria detection under interfering conditions.

Conclusions:

• Ascorbic acid poses a significant limitation for standard haematuria test strips.
• The novel iodate-based test strip offers a reliable alternative, overcoming ascorbic acid interference.
• This new technology has the potential to improve the accuracy of point-of-care urinalysis.