Final answer:
The expected reference range for a 24-hour urine glucose test is 0-15 mg/24h. This indicates that in healthy individuals, very little glucose should be excreted in the urine, as the kidneys reabsorb glucose effectively unless the renal threshold of 180 mg/100 ml is exceeded.
Step-by-step explanation:
The expected reference range for a 24-hour urine glucose test is generally 0-15 mg/24h. This test checks the amount of glucose eliminated in the urine over a 24-hour period. Normally, very little glucose is excreted in the urine as the kidneys reabsorb glucose from the urine back into the bloodstream. The renal threshold for glucose, which is the blood glucose level at which the kidneys begin to excrete glucose into the urine, is about 180 mg/100 ml of blood. The presence of significant amounts of glucose in urine, a condition known as glucosuria, can suggest that this renal threshold has been exceeded, as is typically seen in conditions like diabetes mellitus. In such cases, when the blood glucose control by insulin is compromised, the blood glucose concentration remains persistently higher than normal. However, in healthy individuals, the amount of glucose in urine should fall within the given reference range.