Potential of breath and skin analysis for monitoring blood glucose concentration in diabetes

Abstract

The ability to monitor blood glucose noninvasively has long been a goal of those with diabetes, due to the pain and inconvenience of current blood glucose monitoring devices. This article investigates the potential for monitoring compounds in breath and emitted through skin for inferring blood glucose concentration. Potential markers and an assessment of their suitability for noninvasive monitoring are discussed. The varying technologies developed for monitoring volatile organic compounds in breath and from the skin of diabetics and their suitability for development as a hand-held device is reviewed. The potential exists for the use of breath and skin monitoring as an alternative to blood glucose, but it may take years to collect sufficient clinical data for robust correlations to be possible.

Keywords::

• blood glucose concentration
• breath monitoring
• diabetes mellitus
• gas chromatography
• gas sensing
• mass spectrometry
• noninvasive monitoring
• skin monitoring
• volatile organic compound

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The author has no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.