Noninvasive Blood Glucose Monitors
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a noninvasive blood glucose monitoring device for adults, children, and adolescents with diabetes. Noninvasive monitoring means checking blood glucose levels without puncturing the skin for a blood sample. The GlucoWatch G2 Biographer, manufactured by Cygnus Inc., was approved to detect glucose level trends and track patterns in people with diabetes. It must be used along with conventional blood glucose monitoring of blood samples. The device, which looks like a wristwatch, pulls body fluid from the skin using small electric currents. It can provide six measurements per hour for 13 hours.
Over the years, scientists have been trying to find noninvasive ways for people with diabetes to measure their blood glucose. Most methods of monitoring blood glucose require a blood sample, usually obtained by using an automatic lancing device on a finger. Some meters use a blood sample from a less sensitive area, such as the upper arm, forearm, or thigh. Other devices use a beam of light instead of a lancet to pierce the skin.
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For More Information
Researchers are developing other methods of noninvasive monitoring. Potential ways to determine blood glucose levels include
- shining a beam of light onto the skin or through body tissues
- measuring the energy waves (infared radiation) emitted by the body
- applying radio waves to the fingertips
- using ultrasound
- checking the thickness (also called the viscosity) of fluids in tissue underneath the skin
To learn more about such monitors and new products after approval, call the FDA at 1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332) or check the FDA website on diabetes at www.fda.gov/diabetes and click on the section titled "Glucose Meters & Diabetes Management."
Additional Information on Noninvasive Blood Glucose Monitors
The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse collects resource information on diabetes for the Combined Health Information Database (CHID). CHID is a database produced by health-related agencies of the Federal Government. This database provides titles, abstracts, and availability information for health information and health education resources.
To provide you with the most up-to-date resources, information specialists at the clearinghouse created an automatic search of CHID. To obtain this information, you may view the results of the automatic search on Noninvasive Blood Glucose Monitors.
 If you wish to perform your own search of the database, you may access the CHID Online website and search CHID yourself.
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National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse
1 Information Way
Bethesda, MD 20892-3560
Email: ndic@info.niddk.nih.gov
The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC) is a service of
the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).
The NIDDK is part of the National Institutes of Health under the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services. Established in 1978, the clearinghouse provides
information about diabetes to people with diabetes and to their families,
health care professionals, and the public. NDIC answers inquiries, develops
and distributes publications, and works closely with professional and
patient organizations and Government agencies to coordinate resources
about diabetes.
Publications produced by the clearinghouse are carefully reviewed by both NIDDK scientists and outside experts.
This e-text is not copyrighted. The clearinghouse encourages users of
this e-pub to duplicate and distribute as many copies as desired.
NIH Publication No. 04-4551
October 2003
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