Self-measurements of blood ketone body and 3-hydroxybutyrate levels were performed at home by 12 IDDM and 2 insulin-treated NIDDM patients using a newly developed film-test method.
A good correlation was observed between the self-monitored blood 3-hydroxybutyrate levels and quantitatively determined serum concentrations (n=52, r =0.97). In 12 IDDM patients, blood 3-hydroxybutyrate levels at home ranged widely from 20 to 1440 μM before breakfast and from 20 to 2230 μM before dinner. On the other hand, blood 3-hydroxybutyrate levels in 2 NIDDM patients were generally less than 200 μM.
This study suggests that self-measurement of blood 3-hydroxybutyrate and glucose at home is useful to detect ketoacidosis early and to obtain good metabolic control in IDDM patients.