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Monitoring anemia at home, with a 1-minute point-of-care test

Image: 21 january 2016 By Abby Tabor | Science Writer at NASA's Ames Research Center

Researchers have developed a simple, reliable method for anemia patients to test and monitor their own hemoglobin blood levels, without the need for specialized equipment or training. Cost-effective and fast, the device could transform treatment for some two billion people around the world suffering from anemia, or low hemoglobin in the blood.

The system, created in the lab of Dr. Wilbur Lam of Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, requires only a tiny drop of blood from a finger prick, 60 seconds, and interpretation of a visual, color-based test. A comparative study found its results correlated with traditional hematology analyses of anemia cases of varying severity. With the inexpensive, disposable device, which will be commercialized under the name AnemoCheck, anemic patients can take control of screening their own blood.

In the US alone, 85 million people are at high risk for anemia. In its mild form, anemia can cause weakness, fatigue or dizziness. Chronic cases may threaten children’s neurocognitive development.

Original study: Disposable platform provides visual and color-based point-of-care anemia self-testing

Images via the Atlantic Pediatric Device Consortium

Hemoglobin Monitoring Anemia Point-Of-Care Wilbur Lam

Erika Tyburski

Wilbur A. Lam

Yongzhi Qiu