The dynamics of invasive and noninvasive blood glucose monitoring methods: Recent trends

Improved prognoses of patients with type 2 diabetes are primarily determined by the extent of blood glucose control (correction of both hyper- and hypoglycemia and normalization of blood glucose levels). The proper identification and timely correction of abnormal blood glucose levels require frequent blood glucose monitoring by the patient. Currently used methods for the self-monitoring of blood glucose have significant drawbacks that limit their use. The most significant problems with these methods include insufficient accuracy, invasiveness and high cost, leading to noncompliance and difficult assessment of disease status. Such factors underscore the need for a noninvasive, cost-effective and highly accurate method to measure blood glucose levels. There are several different approaches for the noninvasive measurement of blood glucose levels, including optical analysis, ultrasound and bioimpedance. The concept of a noninvasive glucometer was launched more than 30 years ago. Nevertheless, most noninvasive technologies are still in early stages of development and are not used in clinical practice. This review describers the most promising developments in this area.