What is a potential effect of decreased glucose in a refrigerated urine sample?

In the context of analyzing refrigerated urine samples, a significant impact of decreased glucose levels often relates to the accuracy of test results. When urine is refrigerated, certain biochemical processes can be affected, including glucose stability.

Decreased glucose can lead to false negatives on glucose tests. This happens because glucose is a metabolizable substrate, and if the urine sample is kept for an extended period before testing, bacteria may consume the available glucose. This can lead to lower measured glucose concentrations than what might have originally been present in the sample. Therefore, the interpretation of the results may suggest hypoglycemia or other conditions inaccurately, when in reality, the glucose present was simply metabolized during storage rather than indicative of an actual pathological state.

In summary, decreased glucose levels in a refrigerated urine sample can indeed result in false negatives on tests due to the utilization of glucose by microorganisms or enzymatic degradation when the sample is not processed promptly.