|Articles|March 1, 2002

Tell Patients to Prick Up Their Ears

Patients with diabetes who find repeated pricking of the fingertipspainful can obtain glucose readings by pricking their earlobe.

Many patients with diabetes have toperform finger sticks-sometimesseveral times a day-to monitor theirglucose levels and adjust medicationor insulin dosages. Those who findrepeated pricking of the fingertipspainful can obtain glucose readingsby pricking their earlobe. Earlobepricks yield very accurate readingsand tend to be less painful than fingersticks.
- Gopi Rana-Mukkavilli, MD
New York

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