Other blood components – enzymes may get confused by other sugar components of the blood such as maltose. Small errors in the circuit, such as varying thickness of metal, may alter the current and provide inaccurate readings. Strip circuit issues – test strips contain maze-like wire that connects the part with blood sample to the end part inserted into the meter. Glucose strip manufacturers have tried fixing this problem by administering chemicals to stabilize the enzymes. Instability of enzymes – when enzymes are expose to humidity and extreme temperatures, the activity of the enzyme decreases, and so is its accuracy. Other factors that may affect glucose reading include: The quality of glucose strips is an important factor in glucose testing. Reapplication of blood on the same strip may be necessary for some test strips to work properly. Measurements are just approximations and may vary for every manufacturer. At least 0.5 μl to 1 μl of blood is needed per reading.
The meter measures glucose concentration through these electric currents. Instead of dyes, the glucose is converted into electrical current. The advent of electrochemistry in the ‘90s made test strips what they are today. An enzyme used in the early test strips convert the glucose in the drop of blood into dye the glucose meter shines a beam of light to the strip and detects how much light was absorbed by the dye. It was hard to operate and it needed a lot of blood. When test strips were first introduced in the early 1980s, the process was difficult for most people.