Certified Diabetes Educator Practice Exam 2026 - Free Practice Questions and Study Resource.

Monitoring for ketones is particularly important during an illness or infection in individuals with type 2 diabetes because these situations can lead to increased insulin resistance and fluctuations in blood glucose levels. Illness and infections can cause the body to produce stress hormones, which may contribute to elevated blood glucose levels and possibly lead to ketosis, a condition where the body begins to break down fat for fuel instead of glucose. If insulin is not adequate to manage the elevated glucose due to the stress of an illness, the risk for developing diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) increases, particularly in individuals with type 1 diabetes but also in type 2 when insulin production is insufficient.

In contrast, monitoring for ketones during exercise, travel, or when blood glucose is normal does not provide the same level of necessity, as these situations typically do not warrant the same level of concern regarding ketone development unless accompanied by other complicating factors like illness.