Reliability of glucose measurement by glucose test strips in tropical conditions

The reliability of glucose test strips and reflectance meters after storage in tropical conditions was assessed. In a first experiment, sealed bottles containing glucose test strips were stored for 1 month in closed sterilising ovens at 40 degrees C, one in dry (0% humidity) and the other in wet (75% humidity) conditions. Results were compared to measurements obtained with glucose test strips stored under standard Western conditions, in non-diabetic and diabetic patients, using the same standard reflectance meter. A second experiment was performed similarly, comparing the values obtained with reflectance meters stored in different conditions, using standard glucose test strips. Reproducibility was assessed on the basis of duplicate measurements for each condition of storage. We observed that temperature and humidity did not significantly affect the glucose test strips (1st experiment), while a slight underestimation of capillary blood glucose was found using reflectance meters stored at 50 degrees C, irrespective of the humidity (2nd experiment). All the correlation coefficients between duplicates were greater than 0.975 irrespective of the conditions of storage for glucose test strips and reflectance meters. Therefore, glucose test strips and reflectance meters appear fairly reliable at the grass-root level in the tropics, if used carefully.