People with type 1 diabetes test for hypoglycemia by using a continuous glucose monitor or finger prick. A pilot study at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) looks to provide more information about chemical changes in breath, which is another sign of hypoglycemia.
Evan Los, MD, of the ETSU Quillen College of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics, has received a $10,000 grant from the ETSU Research Development Committee (RDC) to take a closer look at a biochemical signature of hypoglycemia that can be detected in a person’s breath.
The pilot study follows Los’ previous research involving the ability of service dogs to detect and alert their owners when their blood sugar is low. He found mixed results.
“It looked like there might be something to this, but we can’t really tell people they should be solely relying on a dog to know if their blood sugar is low,” Los said.
Now, Los is looking at an array of chemical compounds, including isoprene, which has been shown to increase during hypoglycemia.
“Last year, a group of researchers showed that the level of isoprene goes up 400% during low blood sugar,” Los said.
Los is recruiting people of various ages with type 1 diabetes to provide a breath sample when they experience low blood sugar and again when it returns to normal. The airtight collection bags will be sent to a lab, and Los will analyze the difference between the samples.
This research may reveal more information about human physiology during hypoglycemia, provide insight into how diabetes alert dogs may be working, and could be used to develop a noninvasive device to measure glucose levels, Los said.
“Sometimes, children may not be able to tell the difference between being nervous and having low blood sugar, and it’s the same for people who have had diabetes for a while and older patients. They can’t feel it as much. That’s why it would be beneficial to have a non-invasive way to detect blood sugar,” Los said.
This pilot study is the first clinical research project for ETSU Pediatric Endocrinology and was made possible by funding from the RDC, which is coordinated by the ETSU Office of Research and Sponsored Programs Administration.
“This research may generate more questions than answers, but if this goes well and we find something interesting, we’ll follow up,” Los said. “A possible next step would be to see whether the breath compounds we identify are what the service dogs pick up on when they alert their owners.”
For more information about the study or to express interest in participating, call (423) 431-4946 and leave a message with your name and a contact number.
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