(StatePoint) Most people don’t think about their sugar intake, insulin and blood glucose levels, but for those with diabetes, these are aspects of everyday life. There are more than 24 million people in the United States living with the disease, according to the American Diabetes Association, and this number is on the rise. For these individuals, managing the disease can be a stressful, time-consuming and even painful process.
As diabetes can result in serious health complications including eye, kidney and nerve disease, and can lead to premature death, optimal treatment is crucial. But for this to take place, frequent measuring of blood glucose levels is required.
While conventional blood glucose monitoring involves drawing a blood sample from one’s finger, hand, thigh or forearm with a needle, medical innovations on the horizon are promising to make diabetes management easier on patients.
“Blood glucose monitoring, the crucial tool for controlling diabetes, is soon going to be more cost-effective and less painful,” says Avner Gal, CEO of Integrity Applications, a medical device company working on solutions for diabetes patients.
While at this time there are virtually no viable devices for the non-invasive measurement of glucose levels on the market, this soon will change.
For example, GlucoTrack, by Integrity Applications, is a patented product in development that uses ultrasonic, electromagnetic and thermal technologies to non-invasively measure glucose levels in the blood. The device is battery-operated and includes a main unit, which contains display and control features, as well as transmitter, receiver and processor, and a personal ear clip, which contains sensors and calibration electronics, and is clipped to the earlobe.
If you have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, here are some things to consider about the new technology that soon may help to make life less painful and more cost efficient:
• Convenience: About the size and weight of a smartphone, these new monitoring devices are small, light and easy to carry. Results are given both visually and verbally.
• Cost: Compared to a finger prick device, over the long-term, GlucoTrack will have a reduced life cycle cost, saving patients money.
• Data: Blood glucose readings over time give healthcare providers useful data that helps determine proper treatment for patients. The new devices store up to 1000 past readings, and have a USB port for downloading data for off-line analysis, simplifying the logging process for patients.
More information can be found at www.Integrity-App.com.
Take steps to make your diabetes more manageable. Talk to your doctor about innovations in blood glucose monitoring.
