No more needles, but a simple saliva test to diagnose quickly and efficiently type 2 diabetes ? As simple as a pregnancy test, this new diabetes screening tool could be aimed at the most disadvantaged populations. It will take two years to discover it on the market according to a press release published in the scientific journal Investigacion y Desarrollo. An essential discovery to improve prevention and early diagnosis.
Researchers from TEC in Monterrey (Mexico), and a scientific team from the University of Houston (United States), have developed a tool capable of detecting the presence of type 2 diabetes in saliva. ” We wanted a tool that could identify a biomarker in a saliva sample and that was able to emit fluorescent light so that a cell phone camera could record it, ”says project coordinator Dr Marco. Antonio Rite Palomares.
Scientists have developed a micro-cartridge integrated into a smartphone. It informs in a few seconds whether the user is affected by type 2 diabetes or not. The result is positive if the compound present in the saliva reacts by becoming fluorescent.
Diabetes in numbers
There are two types of diabetes:
- Type 1 diabetes due to an absence of insulin secretion by the pancreas which affects about 10% of diabetics and mainly affects young people.
- Type 2 diabetes is caused by improper use of insulin by the body’s cells. It is much more common and represents 90% of diabetes. In France, it affects around 3 million people, or 4.7% of the population. Figures that increase every year due to bad eating habits and an increasingly sedentary daily life. Diagnosed late, type 2 diabetes can damage the heart, kidneys, blood vessels, eyes, and nerves.
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Diabetes, a poison for the brain
Diabetes: how do we screen it?
Type 2 diabetes: a sneaky disease
