Abbott
Launches First Complete Blood Glucose Monitoring System Designed for
Diabetic Cats and Dogs
Tuesday February 21, 9:00 am ET
AlphaTRAK(TM) Meter Calibrated Especially for Unique Properties of Animal
Blood; Provides Convenient, Accurate Blood Glucose Results for Vets and
Pet Owners
LAS VEGAS, Feb. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Today at the 78th Annual
Western Veterinary Conference, Abbott announced the launch of the
AlphaTRAK(TM), the first complete hand-held blood glucose monitoring
system
designed specifically for diabetic cats and dogs. The AlphaTRAK allows
veterinarians and pet owners to test pets' blood sugar rapidly,
conveniently and accurately with a very small blood sample, without
relying on blood glucose meters designed for humans, which can produce
widely variable and inaccurate results in pets. In head-to-head clinical
evaluation, human glucose meter use in diabetic cats and dogs resulted in
measurements that were off by as much as 39 percent compared to lab
testing and the AlphaTRAK meter.
"This is an important step forward for blood glucose testing of
diabetic dogs and cats," said Dr. Susan Sallee, a veterinarian at
Grayslake Animal Hospital in Grayslake, Ill., one of the participating
AlphaTRAK clinical trial sites. "While some larger veterinary
clinics do have onsite general chemistry instruments for blood analysis,
many do not, and using human meters to test pets is often one of the only
options many vets and pet owners have for immediate results. But those
results can be deceptive, and it's critical that we be as accurate as
possible to avoid hypoglycemia and other dangerous blood glucose
complications."
As many as one in every 200 dogs and one in every 400 cats suffer from
diabetes mellitus. Like humans, these animals are susceptible to both
Type I diabetes, or the inability to produce insulin, and Type II
diabetes, an insensitivity to insulin. However, Type I is more prevalent
among dogs and type II is more common in cats. Regardless of type, pets
with these diseases typically require daily injections of insulin to
metabolize dietary glucose.
Until now, one of the most common ways to test the blood glucose levels
of pets outside of the laboratory was to use hand-held blood glucose
meters designed for humans. However, these meters can provide inaccurate
information when measuring whole blood glucose levels in cats and dogs.
At the root of the problem are the physiological differences between
human and animal blood.
Hand-held glucose meters measure glucose in the entire blood sample --
glucose that is present in the plasma and the red blood cells (RBCs). The
glucose from the RBCs equilibrates with the glucose from the plasma
portion
as the test is being performed. However, in cats and dogs, the
distribution of glucose between the RBCs and plasma is significantly
different than in humans. This causes the meters that are calibrated to
human blood to read
low. The AlphaTRAK glucose monitor has been developed to account for
these differences in RBCs, thus providing extremely accurate glucose
results.
The AlphaTRAK will be available to veterinarians beginning in March, and
available to pet owners for in-home use through their veterinarians.
As Accurate as "Gold Standard" Reference Lab Test in
Clinical Trial
In a head-to-head clinical evaluation, the AlphaTRAK was compared to two
human glucose meters as well as against the Antech Laboratories reference
laboratory test, which is considered the "gold standard" for
animal blood glucose testing. Blood samples were taken from 452 diabetic
and non-diabetic dogs and cats. These samples were tested with AlphaTRAK,
the two human glucose monitors, and the Antech lab test.
On average, AlphaTRAK provided results that were statistically equivalent
(+/-1%) to the Antech results, while the two human hand-held glucose
meters produced results that differed by as much as 39 percent compared
to the
Antech results.
"Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, is one of the biggest health
risks facing diabetic pets," said Dr. Sallee. "Determining your
diabetic pets' blood glucose profile is a common way to gauge the effects
of insulin treatment,
diet, and exercise. However, these factors are constantly fluctuating in
a pet, making accurate blood glucose monitoring absolutely
essential."
