Diabetes often goes undetected until it has already damaged organs or nerves. This is partly because diagnosis at an early stage is difficult and time-consuming. An international team of researchers coordinated by Ruhr-University Bochum has demonstrated that a mathematical calculation based on just two values taken from a blood sample allows for early diagnosis of diabetes in a reliable and economical way.
The method, called SPINA Carb, is based on a mathematical model. All that is needed is a blood sample, taken in the morning before the patient has had breakfast. Two values measured in the sample are relevant: the insulin value and the glucose value. “We insert these values into an equation that describes the control cycle of sugar metabolism in the body and break it down according to a certain variable“, explains Johannes Dietrich. The result is a so-called static disposition index (PLUG-DI).
The SPINA-DI proved to be more reliable than other calculated markers of glucose metabolism and allowed for a more accurate diagnosis. “The new method is not only economical, but also precise and reliable,” conclude the authors. “It could complement and, in many cases, even replace more complex, established methods.”
In computer simulations, the international research team showed that the new parameter confirms the dynamic compensation theory, which predicts that insulin resistance in people with metabolic syndrome is compensated by increased activity of pancreatic beta cells.
Read abstract of the article:
A Novel Simple Disposition Index (SPINA-DI) From Fasting Insulin and Glucose Concentration As a Robust Measure of Carbohydrate Homeostasis
Johannes W. Dietrich, Assjana Abood, Riddhi Dasgupta, Shajith Anoop, Felix K. Jebasingh, R. Spurgeon, Nihal Thomas, Bernhard O. Boehm
Journal of Diabetes. 2024; 1-12. doi:10.1111/1753-0407.13525
Source: Ruhr-University Bochum