Currently on the market of home blood glucose meter is mainly divided into two categories of electrochemical method and light reflection technology.
The electrochemical method uses the principle of detecting the current signal generated during the reaction process to react to the blood glucose value. The electrons generated by the reaction between the enzyme and glucose pass through the current tallying facility, which reads the number of electrons, which is then converted into a glucose concentration reading.
The light reflection method detects the color change of the test strip during the reaction process to react to the blood glucose value, through the reaction of the enzyme and glucose to produce intermediates (colored substances), the use of the detector to detect the intensity of the reflected light on the reflective surface of the test strips, and the intensity of these reflected light, which is converted into the glucose concentration.
The advantage of the light-reflecting technique is that it is more mature and stable, and it can be used to assist in determining blood glucose levels by visually inspecting the color change on the back of the test strips in an emergency. However, this method produces errors when operated under bright light (e.g., outdoors in the summer); in addition, patients with hyperlipidemia and hyperbilirubinemia will experience increased errors when tested with this home glucose meter.
The electrochemical method is not affected by the above two factors, but microwave ovens and cell phones in use will affect the accuracy of the instrument; therefore, when using this type of instrument for blood glucose monitoring, you should avoid electromagnetic radiation on the instrument. You can choose according to the actual use situation.
Any method has a certain detection range for its test strips. Above this range, there is no linear relationship between blood glucose concentration and potential or color shades. Above a certain concentration, the electrochemical method instrument is saturated and is no longer sensitive to changes in blood glucose values