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> 3. You're taking medication that "looks" similar to glucose (in electrochemical sensors that's ibuprofen, but the number of magnetic analogues, especially in

> 3. You're taking medication that "looks" similar to glucose (in electrochemical sensors that's ibuprofen, but the number of magnetic analogues, especially in the presence of interference, is surely greater) Huh, I never knew this. Does this mean taking ibuprofen can give you an elevated glucose reading on a blood test?

ijustlovemath 3y ago
I misspoke, it's actually acetaminophen (I'm always confusing the two!): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5950984/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5950984/ But yes, presence of acetaminophen with a naive electrochemical sensir will cause false high readings, which are VERY dangerous! The latest generation of sensors have fixed this problem, but with any new sensing tech, you need to make sure you're learning from the mistakes of the past. With a new sensing paradigm, you won't necessarily have problems with the same drugs, but knowing that this kind of constructive interference is a potential problem will help you design a more robust system.
- jfengel 3y ago
  Just a note about false readings. A diabetic with high glucose is deeply uncomfortable, and will suffer long term damage, but is not in immediate peril. The bigger danger is being low, which will lead to unconsciousness, coma, and death. Insulin brings down blood glucose. Getting insulin when not needed can be deadly. (It's a favorite of murder mystery writers.) False highs are more of a risk than false lows. Which means you may need to administer sugar to a diabetic in an emergency. But unless you're a medical professional you will never need to give them insulin.
  - ijustlovemath 3y ago
    Absolutely, the danger of a false high is that you dose insulin to correct and end up pushing yourself into a dangerous hypoglycemic state. That's why acetaminophen interference is so important to deal with! And while it's true that running a bit high (250-350mg/dL) isn't an immediate risk, DKA is still a possibility once you breach the 300s, and that will land you in the hospital.

ijustlovemath 3y ago

I misspoke, it's actually acetaminophen (I'm always confusing the two!): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5950984/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5950984/ But yes, presence of acetaminophen with a naive electrochemical sensir will cause false high readings, which are VERY dangerous! The latest generation of sensors have fixed this problem, but with any new sensing tech, you need to make sure you're learning from the mistakes of the past. With a new sensing paradigm, you won't necessarily have problems with the same drugs, but knowing that this kind of constructive interference is a potential problem will help you design a more robust system.

jfengel 3y ago
Just a note about false readings. A diabetic with high glucose is deeply uncomfortable, and will suffer long term damage, but is not in immediate peril. The bigger danger is being low, which will lead to unconsciousness, coma, and death. Insulin brings down blood glucose. Getting insulin when not needed can be deadly. (It's a favorite of murder mystery writers.) False highs are more of a risk than false lows. Which means you may need to administer sugar to a diabetic in an emergency. But unless you're a medical professional you will never need to give them insulin.
- ijustlovemath 3y ago
  Absolutely, the danger of a false high is that you dose insulin to correct and end up pushing yourself into a dangerous hypoglycemic state. That's why acetaminophen interference is so important to deal with! And while it's true that running a bit high (250-350mg/dL) isn't an immediate risk, DKA is still a possibility once you breach the 300s, and that will land you in the hospital.