Warning over faulty diabetes aid

Insulin is used if blood glucose levels are too high

Medicines regulators are warning diabetes patients a fault in vital equipment could put them at risk of an overdose of insulin.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said some blood glucose meters had been found to give readings which were far too high.

People with diabetes type 1 take insulin if their blood glucose rates are high.

Patients can go into a hypoglycaemic coma if they overdose on insulin.

Higher

In some of the cases, the readings given have been 18 times higher than the true level.

This is because the units of measurement displayed on affected blood glucose meters have changed from mmol/L to mg/dL.

The MHRA said manufacturers would replace, free of charge, affected meters.

Affected blood glucose meters include FreeStyle and FreeStyle Mini, previously known as TheraSense, and MediSense Optium Xceed manufactured by Abbott Diabetes Care.

LifeScan OneTouch, LifeScan InDuo and LifeScan PocketScan manufactured by LifeScan may also be faulty, the MHRA said.

A spokesman said: "The MHRA is concerned that this change in unit of measurement could lead users to think that the blood glucose result is high and thus alter the treatment regime.

"This could lead to patients self-administering an insulin overdose and going into and hypoglycaemic coma."