Glucometers- Saviors for the diabetic

Written By- Aalia Imran

Have you ever heard of a glucometer? Well, if you know someone with diabetes, you would've seen them poking their finger multiple times in order to check their blood sugar levels. Do you know how this device that they use works? Well, let's take a look at it.

The device consists of test strips, which are impregnated with the enzyme glucose-oxidase. This catalyzes the conversion of glucose to gluconic acid. The chemical is then reacted with another chemical called ferricyanide, which is also present in the testing strip. These two products formed are combined to create ferrocyanide, which plays a major role in the processing of the sugar levels in the electrochemical cell.

During the process, formation of hydrogen peroxide also takes place, and this is then passed on to the electrochemical cell, where a cascade of reactions occur and the final result is displayed.

Modern Monitoring Methodologies

New technologies are helping us move forward from the traditional monitoring systems to innovative ones. Since the ones we usually use now cause inconveniences every time the sugar levels have to be checked, a new system called “continuous glucose monitoring” is being implemented.

In this, the users have a tiny sensor wire attached right under the skin using an automatic applicator. The scanner just has to be tapped on the sensor, and the result is displayed on the monitor.

This is done by measuring the changes in glucose levels in the interstitial fluid that surrounds the sensor. It then transfers the information to the monitor.

There are several advantages of this continuous glucose monitoring system as compared to the traditional method. Some of them are-

1) alarming the user when the glucose levels go too high or too low

2) noting meal times, physical activity, etc.

3) downloading the data to a computer or smartphone to have easy access to the users history.

Therefore, using the upcoming and existing technologies, we can look forward to changes in the glucose monitoring systems to make the lives of the diabetic simpler.