Measurement of glucose in diabetic subjects using noninvasive transdermal extraction.
Results from the Diabetes Care and Complications Trial show that tight blood glucose control significantly reduces the long-term complications of diabetes mellitus. In that study, frequent self-testing of glucose and insulin administration resulted in a significant reduction in long-term complications. This protocol, however, also resulted in a threefold increase in the frequency of hypoglycaemic incidents. Currently, self-testing requires a drop of blood for each measurement. The pain and inconvenience of self-testing, along with the fear and danger of hypoglycaemia has led to poor patient acceptance of a tight control regimen, despite the clear long-term advantages. A continuously worn, noninvasive method to periodically measure glucose would provide a convenient and comfortable means of frequent self-testing. A continuously worn device could also alert the user of low glucose levels, thereby reducing the incidence of hypoglycaemia. Guy et al. demonstrated a noninvasive method to transport glucose through the skin using low-level electrical current. To provide a quantitative measurement, the flux of glucose extracted across the skin must correlate with serum glucose in a predictive manner. The results presented here show a quantitative relationship between serum and transdermally extracted glucose in diabetics.
Tamada
J A
JA
Cygnus Therapeutic Systems, Redwood City, California 94063, USA.
Bohannon
N J
NJ
Potts
R O
RO
D000328:Adult; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis*; D015190:Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000097:blood*; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000517:prevention & control; D007003:Hypoglycemia / Q000517:prevention & control; D007478:Iontophoresis / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism
D001786:Blood Glucose