How much is vitamin C interfering with your urinalysis results? Chemstrip® urine test strips virtually eliminate vitamin C interference on blood and glucose pads. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in urine is more common than you think. That’s a problem.
Chemstrip® urine test strips are impregnated with iodate to prevent false-negative blood and glucose results.1
Vitamin C is part of a balanced diet. It occurs naturally in oranges and other fruits, vegetables, and herbs. It’s also used widely in the food and beverage industry as a preservative and discoloration inhibitor, appearing in foods ranging from cereal and chips to pastrami and soup.2 In fact, the global production of ascorbic acid has increased 50% since 1980—reflecting both rapidly-growing commercial demand and individual consumption worldwide.3 Broccoli is one of many foods rich in vitamin C Vitamin C from everyday foods can wind up in your patients’ urine. One study4 found that every fifth patient had enough vitamin C in their urine to potentially miss a diagnosis of blood or glucose in urine. Vitamin C in urine can produce false-negative urinalysis results by interfering with the blood and glucose pads on common urine test strips.4,5
False-negatives can lead to potentially dangerous and costly missed diagnoses. That’s an even bigger problem. Serious, progressive illnesses such as diabetes mellitus, glomerulonephritis, and bladder tumors could go undetected if using a urine test strip with vitamin C interference. Missed diagnoses can be costly for patient and provider alike, delaying proper treatment and burdening your practice and patient with stress, inconvenience, unnecessary expense, and time-consuming, unbillable re-tests. Ask for Chemstrip urine test strips by name to avoid interference from vitamin C—because accurate diagnosis can mean more timely, effective treatment. Only Chemstrip urine test strips from Roche Diagnostics are protected against Chemstrip 10 MD Specific Gravity vitamin C interference and the possibility of false-negative blood and glucose pH results.1 That’s because they’re designed with an iodate impregnated mesh Diazonium salt impregnated mesh layer which oxidizes ascorbic acid and removes the interference. for improved sensitivity Leukocytes Other manufacturers’ strips do not have this iodate-impregnated mesh layer. Nitrite Some manufacturers even offer a test pad to detect ascorbic acid levels in Double layered Protein urine samples. But the problem with these tests is that a positive result on the for improved resolution vitamin C detection pad requires the patient to go home, avoid vitamin C, and and sensitivity Glucose return for retesting 2 or even 3 days later! Prevent the interference altogether with Chemstrip urine test strips. Impregnated Ketones with iodate to eliminate Vitamin C Urobilinogen Chemstrip urine test strips outperform the competition interference With up to 400 mg/L* ascorbic acid present in urine, only Chemstrip urine test Bilirubin 5 strips properly detect clinically relevant concentrations of 50 mg/dL glucose. Blood
Test Glucose 50 mg/dL Compensation Pad Ascorbic Acid (mg/L) 0 100 200 400 1000 Plastic carrier Absorbent pad layer Roche Chemstrip 10 MD 100 50 50 50 0 Reagent pad layer Bayer Multistix 10SG (from Siemens) 0 0 0 0 0 Mesh laminate Macherey & Nagel Medi-Test Combi 10 SGL 50 50 0 0 0 Arkray, Inc. Aution 10 EA 0 0 0 0 0 YD Diagnostics Uriscan 10 SGL 100 0 0 0 0
Chemstrip urine test strips detect glucose in the presence of up to 400 mg/L ascorbic acid, demonstrating strength against vitamin C interference at higher hemoglobin concentrations.5
Test Hemoglobin 0.03 mg/dL=10Ery/µL Ascorbic Acid (mg/L) 0 100 200 400 1000 Roche Chemstrip 10 MD 10 10 10 10 0 Bayer Multistix 10SG (from Siemens) 10 10 0 0 0 Macherey & Nagel Medi-Test Combi 10 SGL 10 0 0 0 0 Arkray, Inc. Aution 10 EA 0 0 0 0 0 YD Diagnostics Uriscan 10 SGL 0 0 0 0 0
*400 mg/L is typical of ascorbic acid concentration in urine after consuming 1–3 glasses of orange juice or taking 250–500 mg of supplemental vitamin C.4 Chemstrip urine test strips provide correct results by virtually eliminating vitamin C interference in glucose and blood testing.4,5 Correct results mean fewer repeat analyses and more convenience for your patients, and that can help your bottom line. They also help lessen seasonal and dietary concerns and, most important, contribute to earlier diagnosis.
Ask for Chemstrip urine test strips by name! Virtually eliminate misdiagnosis due to vitamin C interference: choose Chemstrip urine test strips for your patients’ urinalyses. Call 1-800-852-8766 or your local distributor to purchase Chemstrip urine testing products. For more information anytime, visit online at www.poc.roche.com.
Chemstrip® 10 MD urine test strips Cat. No. 0 3260763160
References 1. Chemstrip 10 MD Urine Test Strips package insert. Indianapolis, IN. Roche Diagnostics Corporation, 2002. Multistix 10 SG Reagent Strips (from Siemens) package insert. Elkhart, IN. Bayer HealthCare, 2005. Medi-Test Urine Test Sticks Combi 10 SGL package insert. Düren, Germany. Macherey-Nagel GmbH & Co. KG, 2006. Aution Sticks 10TA package insert. Kyoto, Japan. Arkray, Inc., 2006. PSS Select (Uriscan) Urine Test Strips package insert. Kyunggi-Do, Korea. YD Diagnostics, 2005. 2. http://www.nutritiondata.com/ (foods by nutrient), accessed August 17, 2008. 3. Eggersdorfer, M et al. in Ullmann’s Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, 2008, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 4. Brigden, ML, Edgell D, McPherson M, Leadbeater A, Hoag G. High incidence of significant urinary ascorbic acid concentrations in a west coast population – implications for routine urinalysis. Clin. Chem. 1991; 38/3: 426-431. 5. Nagel D, Seiler D, Hohenberger EF, Ziegler M. Investigations of ascorbic acid interference in urine test strips. Clin. Lab. 2006; 52:149-153.
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