Instead of pricking their fingers multiple times per day, diabetics may only need to breathe. A breathalyzer device about the size of a book (and potentially smaller as scientists continue its development) could one day provide the same information as a drop of blood from one's finger, Wed MD reported.
Whereas a blood sample gives a direct measurement of sugar levels, a chemical in one's breath known as acetone may directly correlate to the amount of sugar running through one's blood, according to Web MD.
Scientists know there is at least a partial relationship and that diabetics typically have more acetone in their breath (which is why they emit that sweet, fruity air when their sugar levels are high) than non-diabetics. Diabetics are prone to high traces of acetone because they tend to reach low insulin levels and high blood-sugar levels - both conditions that promote the production of acetone, according to Medical News Today.
If acetone is indeed a reliable measure of blood-sugar, then the hand-held device built by lead researcher Ronny Priefer, professor of medicinal chemistry at Western New England University, and colleagues could one day end the somewhat brutish practice of finger-pricking. It also could make diabetics more fastidious in their bodily upkeep, for they'll be more likely to check their levels.
"If we can successfully show that there is a linear correlation between acetone levels and blood glucose [sugar] levels, the ease of which an individual with diabetes can monitor their disease state should be dramatically simplified," Priefer said.
According to Priefer, the device will be tested against finger-pricked blood samples late next year and early 2015. Currently, he's working with an engineer to reduce its size to that of a standard breathalyzer used by police.
Priefer's isn't the first Breathalyzer-like contraption that capitalizes on the relationship between acetone and blood-sugar. Separating his device from the pack is its (ideal) size and its ability to separate acetone from exhaled chemicals.
"Breathalyzers are a growing field of study because of their potential to have a significant positive impact on patients' quality of life and compliance with diabetes monitoring. What makes our technology different is that it only accounts for acetone and doesn't react with other components in the breath."
