New Sugar Monitor Without Finger Pricks Expected In Nigeria Soon

Those who go through the painful ordeal of having there fingers pricked in the process of getting their blood sugar monitored, now have a cause to heave a sigh of relief as the United States (U.S.) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first continuous blood sugar monitor that doesn’t need backup finger prick tests. The U.S. regulatory body approved the use of the new device, Abbott’s new FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System on Wednesday.

It is expected that the new device may come into Nigeria anytime from now; health operators in the country are already making moves to that end.

The new procedure will be a relief for millions of people living with diabetes worldwide as current models require users to test a drop of blood twice daily to calibrate, or adjust the monitor.
The discomfort of finger sticks and the cost of testing supplies can discourage people from keeping close tabs on their blood sugar.

Many poor patients often run out of test kits and move on without conducting the routine blood sugar test with severe consequences. Diabetes Mellitus (DM), commonly referred to as diabetes, is a group of metabolic disorders in which there are high blood sugar levels over a prolonged period.

 Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough insulin or the cells of the body not responding properly to the insulin produced. If left untreated, diabetes can cause many complications and death. Serious long-term complications include cardiovascular disease, stroke, chronic kidney disease, foot ulcers, and damage to the eyes.

Worldwide, about 450 million people are living with the disease. In Nigeria, it is estimated that about 10 per cent of the nation’s population are living with diabetes but the major challenge in this country is that many that are afflicted with the medical condition are not aware that they have it.

Hence, medical experts have been advocating regular blood sugar testing to detect the condition early so as to place affected persons on medications.
The new device uses a small sensor attached to the upper arm. Patients wave a reader device over it to see the current blood sugar level and changes over the past eight hours, reported the ‘Press Herald.’ Abbott isn’t disclosing the price for the reader or the sensors, which should be available in pharmacies within months.

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