Saliva blood glucose meter

[Copepod]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-27223308

Watch the last of the three inventions / designs - a woman describing a gadget that can detect levels of blood glucose in saliva. Looks a bit bulky and imprecise (it shows level by colour, not a number) to me, but would be interested to hear other people's opinions.

 

[Redkite]

I couldn't see the glucose meter on this link - just a toilet!

From what you say it would be no good for us. We need reasonably accurate BG numbers to calculate his insulin doses. And what about retesting BG after treating a hypo? He would have sugary saliva from the lucozade/dextrose and would get a false high. No way!

 

[Copepod]

That's why I said watch - it's a short film, saliva meter is third gadget after toilet and shower.

 

[Redkite]

Oh!! Ok, I'll have a look later - just off out to a training course.....

 

[DeusXM]

Nice idea but it's fixing a problem that doesn't really exist.

Fine, no-one enjoys sticking their fingers for blood but I think we'd all rather have either a monitor that continuously and non-invasively monitors blood sugar, or something that means we don't actually have to monitor your blood sugar ie. a cure.

Otherwise, all you're really doing is swapping one bodily fluid for another.

 

[HERE TINTIN]

I cannot see the point of it, we all need acurate bs level readings, unless it could be improved to do that who would get any use out of it ? I can see the attraction if it was acurate, no more finger pricking. Good idea but not precise enough to be of any use.

 

[robert@fm]

I can sort of see the attraction; like anyone else, I hate having to prick my finger, I'd much rather [don't say it — Ed].

But even if this is as accurate as a blood test, there is the aforementioned problem of this device being useless for checking whether oral hypo treatments have worked, and probably many others...

 

[AlisonM]

OK, just suppose I'd been at the jelly babies again and then went to test... would it not be confused by the sugar on my tongue?

 

[trophywench]

Also testing by colour horrifies me !

Memories of boiling wee up in test tubes, begone ......