Innovative approaches to early detection of cardiovascular disease and diabetes risk: focus on glucose and cholesterol measuring

Cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus are major noncommunicable diseases contributing significantly to disease burden on individuals and societies. Both are largely preventable through early intervention and effective risk factor management. Prevention requires timely data about population-level risk factors and identification of high-risk individuals. The Joint Action JACARDI reviewed self-measuring methods for blood glucose and cholesterol. Results indicate that dried blood spot and capillary blood stored in microtubes/capillary tubes provide close agreement with venous samples for glycated hemoglobin, and dried blood spot samples for triglycerides, but sample collection and handling require standardization. Meanwhile, they are not suitable for diagnostic purposes.