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[The long-term stability of reactive strips for capillary blood glucose preserved at between 2 and 5 degrees C]
J B Calderón Ubeda1, T Blanco Ramos, R Baltuille Fernández
1Centro de Salud V Centenario, San Sebastián de los Reyes, Madrid.
Objective:
To assess the stability of the reactive strips for capillary glycemia, preserved between 2 and 5 degrees C, and at ambient temperature, during 8 weeks.
Design:
Transversal descriptive study.
Setting:
Health Center "V Centenario" of San Sebastián de los Reyes.
Patients And Other Participants:
322 strips were obtained, 31 were underrated because they could not read the orderly days, of the 291 remaining, 159 were kept in the refrigerator between 2 and 5 degrees C, and 132 were kept at ambient temperature, preserved to the light.
Measurements And Main Results:
All the strips were type "BM-test-glycemia 24 hours, and the weeks 1 to 8. At ambient temperature the strips lose the 5% of their basal value, and the 23 and 32% in the first and second weeks respectively (p < 0.001). The strips kept in refrigerator have a rise at 24 hours, with regard to basal value of 7% (p < 0.001). Starting from this moment, a gradual fall of the mean value of the glycemia is produced, significant differences were not found in the second week. After 8 weeks, a mean loss of 10% of the strip value is noticed.
Conclusions:
The fall of the strip value, preserved in refrigerator is not clinically very important, an acceptable control of the diabetic patient can be obtained by delayed reading, even 8 weeks, of reactive strips that patients can keep in their refrigerators.