Analyzing Tears Could Allow for Non-invasive Diabetes Monitoring: Study

In people with diabetes, analyzing tears could be a possible way to monitor their blood sugar without the need for invasive alternatives that rely on blood testing, revealed a new study presented at this year's Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD).

The research was conducted by Dr Masakazu Aihara and colleagues at The University of Tokyo, Japan.

‘Gycoalbumin (GA) has the potential to be used as a method of non-invasive diabetes monitoring.’

The authors viewed diabetes-related biomarkers' measurement in tears as a potential method of monitoring the disease that would avoid the need to take blood samples.

Previous research studies of glucose levels in tears have shown that they correspond well to the amount of glucose in the blood.

The research team focused on glycoalbumin (GA) levels, which reflect an average of blood glucose levels over the preceding two weeks; and investigated the link between GA level in tears and those in blood.

For the study, 100 individuals with diabetes were recruited. Tears and blood samples were collected for study analysis.

Samples from 99 of the 100 participants were successfully measured, and a significant correlation was discovered between GA levels in tears and those in blood.

The authors say: "In the future, we plan to optimize measurement conditions and develop measurement equipment, and to verify the effectiveness and usefulness of diabetes monitoring methods."

Diabetes Quick Facts

• More than 34 million people in the United States have diabetes.
• More than 88 million US adults-over a third-have prediabetes.
• In the United States, diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death.
• Type 2 diabetes accounts for approximately 90% to 95% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes.

Source: Medindia