A student is very stressed about his performance on an exam. Which of the following substances might be detected in his urine?

Question

A.glucose

B.nitrites

C.ketones

D.blood

Answer 1

Most likely, assuming the student is otherwise physiologically healthy, ketones might appear in the urine. During times of stress, the body will liberate glucose to be used by tissues that prefer glucose, e.g., brain, while liberating fatty acids from the fat stores for other tissues. If the stress reaches a high level, some of the fatty acids that are metabolized might be excreted in the urine as ketones (called ketonuria).

If the the ketonuria is not excessive, and it's temporary, this is no cause for concern as this is a normal reaction of the body to stress.