Bayer Ketostix Urine Ketone Reagent Strips — Box of 100

SKU: 562881  |  UPC: 301932881218  |  By Bayer Diabetes Care

Ketone-Only Urine Reagent Strip  |  Tests Presence & Concentration of Urine Ketone  |  Sodium Nitroprusside Colorimetric Reaction  |  Individually Foil-Wrapped  |  100 Strips per Box  |  Non-Invasive — No Blood or Meter Required  |  For In Vitro Diagnostic Use  |  FSA/HSA Eligible

Bayer Ketostix are the standard ketone-only urine reagent strips for patients and clinicians who need to monitor urine ketone levels without simultaneous glucose testing. Each strip carries a single reactive pad containing 7.1% w/w sodium nitroprusside in an alkaline buffer. When the strip is briefly dipped into a fresh urine sample, sodium nitroprusside reacts with ketone bodies (acetoacetate and acetone) present in the urine to produce a color change proportional to ketone concentration — from no color change at negative through a visible pink-lavender-purple progression as ketone levels rise from trace through large. The result is compared visually to the color reference chart on the container. No meter, no blood, no lancing device required. 100 individually foil-wrapped strips per box — each strip is sealed in its own foil pouch for protection against moisture and light, extending shelf life after box opening and maintaining consistent reactivity across the full 100-strip count. FSA/HSA eligible. SKU 562881. By Bayer Diabetes Care.

Specifications

Ketostix vs. Keto-Diastix — Choosing the Right Strip

Key Features

• Ketone-only single-pad strip — a focused test for urine ketone monitoring without a separate glucose pad; appropriate when ketone monitoring is the clinical priority and glucose monitoring is handled separately via blood glucose meter or CGM
• Sodium nitroprusside colorimetric reaction — the reactive pad contains 7.1% w/w sodium nitroprusside in an alkaline buffer; in the presence of acetoacetate and acetone in the urine, the nitroprusside reagent undergoes a color change from the strip's base beige/tan color to pink, lavender, and purple at progressively higher ketone concentrations; the intensity of the purple color reflects the ketone concentration level
• Tests presence AND concentration — the nitroprusside reaction is semi-quantitative; results are read against a 5-level color scale (Negative, Trace, Small, Moderate, Large) giving meaningful concentration information rather than a simple positive/negative result
• Individually foil-wrapped — 100 strips per box — each strip is sealed in its own protective foil pouch; foil wrapping protects each strip individually from humidity, light, and air exposure, maintaining reagent stability across the full 100-strip count and extending usable shelf life after the box is opened; bottle-packaged strips rely on the bottle's desiccant and cap for protection of all strips simultaneously
• 100-strip count — double the count of the 50-strip Keto-Diastix; economical for higher-frequency testing protocols, clinical inventory, or prolonged monitoring programs
• Non-invasive — urine sample only — no fingerstick, no lancing device, no meter required; a brief dip in fresh urine and a timed visual read
• FSA/HSA eligible | For in vitro diagnostic use | By Bayer Diabetes Care

Clinical FAQs

How do I use Ketostix and read the result correctly?

Collect a fresh urine sample in a clean, dry container — a midstream catch is preferred. Remove one foil-wrapped strip from the box and open the foil pouch immediately before use; do not pre-open strips and allow them to sit exposed. Dip the reactive pad end of the strip into the urine for approximately 2 seconds, then remove. Shake off excess urine and hold the strip horizontally. After exactly 15 seconds, compare the reactive pad color to the color reference chart printed on the box label. The five reference colors correspond to: Negative (no color change — beige/tan base); Trace (approximately 5 mg/dL — faint pink); Small (approximately 15 mg/dL — pink-lavender); Moderate (approximately 40 mg/dL — lavender-purple); Large (80–160 mg/dL — deep purple). Read at exactly 15 seconds — reading too early or too late can affect accuracy. Do not use strips if the reactive pad appears discolored before dipping, or if the strip has passed its expiration date. Record results and report to your healthcare provider per your monitoring plan. Trace results in a non-diabetic context may be normal after prolonged fasting or on a very low carbohydrate diet; any positive result in a Type 1 diabetic should be acted on per the patient's sick-day management plan.

Why does the Ketostix reaction detect acetoacetate but not beta-hydroxybutyrate, and why does this matter clinically?

The sodium nitroprusside reagent in Ketostix reacts with acetoacetate (AcAc) and acetone — two of the three main ketone bodies produced during fat metabolism and in diabetic ketoacidosis — but it does not react with beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), the third and typically most abundant ketone body. In normal ketosis and in early diabetic ketoacidosis, the ratio of BHB to acetoacetate in the blood is approximately 3:1 or higher — meaning BHB is the predominant ketone body, and the majority of the total ketone burden is not detected by the nitroprusside reaction. This has two important clinical implications. First, Ketostix can underestimate the degree of ketosis or ketoacidosis — a patient in significant DKA may show only a moderate urine ketone result if their BHB:AcAc ratio is high. Second, a counterintuitive phenomenon can occur during DKA treatment: as insulin therapy begins to work, BHB is converted to acetoacetate, which then becomes detectable by the nitroprusside reaction and appears in the urine — the urine ketone result can actually look worse (more purple, higher concentration) early in treatment even as the patient's actual metabolic state is improving. Clinicians and patients using Ketostix during active DKA management should be aware that improving clinical status may be accompanied by transiently worsening urine ketone results, and that blood ketone testing (which measures BHB directly) is more accurate for real-time DKA severity assessment and treatment monitoring. Urine Ketostix remain a useful and convenient screening and monitoring tool for home use and for situations where blood ketone meters and strips are not available.

Are Ketostix appropriate for people following a ketogenic diet, and how should they interpret results?

Ketostix are widely used by people following ketogenic or very low carbohydrate diets to confirm that dietary ketosis is occurring — that the body has shifted to fat-burning metabolism and is producing ketones. For this purpose, Ketostix work well as a simple, inexpensive, and non-invasive way to check whether dietary ketosis is present. A trace, small, or moderate ketone result typically confirms nutritional ketosis in a person without diabetes who is following a ketogenic diet. In this non-diabetic context, moderate to large urine ketone readings are not inherently dangerous — they reflect nutritional ketosis, not diabetic ketoacidosis, as long as blood glucose is normal. The distinction between nutritional ketosis and DKA lies in blood glucose and bicarbonate levels, not urine ketone concentration alone. Over time, many ketogenic diet followers find that their urine ketone readings diminish even when well-adapted to the diet — this reflects the body becoming more efficient at utilizing ketones (less spillage into urine) rather than a loss of ketosis. At this stage, blood BHB testing (which measures the actual circulating ketone level directly) provides a more accurate picture of metabolic state than urine testing. Ketostix are most useful in the early weeks of a ketogenic diet as a simple confirmation tool; long-term adapted keto dieters may find blood ketone meters more informative. People with Type 1 diabetes following a ketogenic diet should work with their care team to establish specific ketone monitoring protocols, as the risk profile of elevated ketones is different than for a non-diabetic individual.

Questions about Ketostix, choosing between Ketostix and Keto-Diastix, or other diabetes monitoring supplies? Call our product specialists: 1-866-218-0902  |  Mon–Fri 9am–5pm, Sat 9am–3pm EST