Blood glucose monitoring is important for managing diabetes, helping individuals track blood sugar levels. Glucose test strips are a fundamental tool, working with a glucose meter to provide readings. A common question is whether these strips can be used effectively past their expiration date. This article explores test strip expiration and the implications of using them past their prime.
Why Test Strips Expire
Glucose test strips contain enzymes like glucose oxidase, which react with glucose in a blood sample to produce an electrical signal. These enzymes degrade over time, losing accuracy. Environmental factors like humidity, extreme temperatures, and light accelerate degradation.
Manufacturers establish expiration dates based on stability testing to ensure strips perform accurately. Packaging, often a sealed vial, protects strips from moisture and air until opened. Once opened, strips become more susceptible to environmental factors, and their shelf life shortens, typically to about 3-4 months. The expiration date is a scientifically determined limit for guaranteed accuracy.
Consequences of Using Expired Strips
Using expired glucose test strips can lead to inaccurate blood glucose readings. When the enzymes on the strip degrade, the reaction with glucose is compromised, resulting in falsely high or low readings. These inaccuracies defeat the purpose of monitoring and can have serious health implications.
Inaccurate readings can lead to inappropriate treatment decisions, especially concerning insulin dosing. A falsely low reading might prompt more insulin than necessary, risking hypoglycemia (dangerously low blood sugar). Conversely, a falsely high reading could lead to insufficient insulin, resulting in hyperglycemia (dangerously high blood sugar). Both can lead to severe complications, including diabetic coma or ketoacidosis.
What to Do Instead
Accurate blood glucose readings are important for effective diabetes management. Always use unexpired test strips and follow manufacturer’s storage guidelines. Keep test strips in their original, tightly closed container in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight, heat, and humidity. Avoid storing them in bathrooms or cars where temperature and humidity fluctuations are common.
Regularly check the expiration date on the test strip box and vial. Expired strips should be discarded. Local regulations for disposal vary, but general guidance suggests placing them in a sealed plastic bag before disposing in regular trash or, if contaminated with blood, a sharps container.
To avoid running out or accumulating expired strips, assess your supply regularly. Consider consulting your healthcare provider or pharmacist about managing your strip inventory and exploring cost-saving options.