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Review
. 2016 Aug 22;10(5):1161-8.
doi: 10.1177/1932296816641433. Print 2016 Sep.

Interferences and Limitations in Blood Glucose Self-Testing: An Overview of the Current Knowledge

Michael Erbach  1 , Guido Freckmann  2 , Rolf Hinzmann  3 , Bernhard Kulzer  4 , Ralph Ziegler  5 , Lutz Heinemann  6 , Oliver Schnell  7
Affiliations
Review

Interferences and Limitations in Blood Glucose Self-Testing: An Overview of the Current Knowledge

Michael Erbach et al. J Diabetes Sci Technol. .

Abstract

In general, patients with diabetes performing self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) can strongly rely on the accuracy of measurement results. However, various factors such as application errors, extreme environmental conditions, extreme hematocrit values, or medication interferences may potentially falsify blood glucose readings. Incorrect blood glucose readings may lead to treatment errors, for example, incorrect insulin dosing. Therefore, the diabetes team as well as the patients should be well informed about limitations in blood glucose testing. The aim of this publication is to review the current knowledge on limitations and interferences in blood glucose testing with the perspective of their clinical relevance.

Keywords: SMBG; blood glucose testing; diabetes; interference; reliability; self-monitoring of blood glucose.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: RH is an employee of Roche Diabetes Care GmbH, Mannheim, Germany. GF, BK, RZ, LH, and OS are members of national and international advisory boards of Roche Diabetes Care GmbH, Mannheim, Germany

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Relatively small divergences may sum up to a substancial total deviation of −35 mg/dL.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Deviations may also balance themselves, resulting in a total deviation of only +5 mg/dL.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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