Exploring in-vivo infrared spectroscopy for nail-based diabetes screening

Biomed Opt Express. 2024 Feb 28;15(3):1926-1942. doi: 10.1364/BOE.520102. eCollection 2024 Mar 1.

Abstract

Diabetes screening is traditionally complex, inefficient, and reliant on invasive sampling. This study evaluates near-infrared spectroscopy for non-invasive detection of glycated keratin in nails in vivo. Glycation of keratin, prevalent in tissues like nails and skin, is a key indicator of T2DM risk. In this study involving 200 participants (100 with diabetes, 100 without), NIR's efficacy was compared against a point-of-care HbA1c analyzer. Results showed a specificity of 92.9% in diabetes risk assessment. This study highlights the proposed NIR system potential as a simple, reliable tool for early diabetes screening and risk management in various healthcare settings.