Diabetes: we selected four apps to help monitor and control the disease

It is no exaggeration to say that the life of a diabetic person has improved significantly over the past 50 years. Of course, this is almost a non-fact: anyone with a condition or disease has seen their quality of life improve over time, due to the (absolutely expected) technological and scientific development.

Diabetics, however, have a kind of advantage over patients with other diseases: because they have an incurable condition that affects a significant portion of the world population (in Brazil alone, there are about 16 million adults, according to the World Organization. da Saúde), research and inventions aimed at diabetics have been very frequent throughout the last half century.

Taking this hook, we can speak of the great symbol of the contemporary era: smartphones and, of course, the applications that compose them. Of course, no app will do the job, for example, of a dedicated blood glucose meter (leave that for the future Apple Watch being designed there in Cupertino), but several of them bring very useful resources and ideas so that diabetic people can have a Life is even better, managing your glucose levels, regulating your diet, receiving alerts for measurements or injections and even tips from connected professionals.

why, following the reader's tip Victor Franco, we decided to make a selection of some of the most interesting diabetes monitoring apps on the App Store. The idea is to show some of the strengths and weaknesses of each one so that you, patient or family / friend, can have an idea of ​​which one or which of them can offer more help in monitoring the disease. Let's go?

Glic

The first application on our 100% Brazilian list is the only one officially recommended by the Brazilian Diabetes Society, that is, it already starts with a very attractive curriculum. Fortunately, the Glic it goes far beyond that: from its well thought out interface, a very satisfactory amount of resources, it goes well in all aspects taken into account when assembling this selection.

The initial configuration of the app requires a small registration and transcription of the medical prescription; from there, just inform your glycemic index on the website for an automatic calculation of the correction dose. By informing the foods you eat throughout the day (there is a catalog with more than 1,500 options and their respective nutritional information), Glic produces a complete report with daily blood glucose charts, carbohydrate counts and much more. There is also a hypoglycemia alert for times when extra application is needed.

It is true that the app interface is not the most elegant or functional of all selected here, but this aspect does not compromise its functioning and the resources brought by Glic, as well as its total comfort among Brazilian patients (which is normal , considering that it was developed here), more than compensate for this possible negative point.

Glic is completely free (another extremely positive point) and is available in iOS and Android versions.


Glic app icon | Diabetes and Glucose

One Drop

it is good to start introducing the One Drop with its main disadvantage: it still doesn’t have a translation into Portuguese, which means that users with problems understanding English (or any of the other five supported languages, including French and Spanish) may experience difficulties in operating the application because what are not lacking here are options and resources of all kinds. What a pity, because the interface and operation are impeccable.

If you use one of the languages ​​included in the app, however, you can play: One Drop is possibly the most complete option among those listed here. Although one of its most interesting parts (the integration with One Drop | Chrome, a glucose meter with Bluetooth connection that connects to the app) is not available here, the app has several tools to help patients control the diet and blood glucose level with a simple and quick setup.

All the expected features, such as carbohydrate counting (with a catalog full of foods for you to register your meals), physical activity record, medication and insulin reminder, and blood glucose statistics are present, and One Drop also has platform support. Apple Health, for integration with thousands of apps (including some for diabetes monitors, like Dexcom and Accu-Chek).

We also have here an application for Apple Watch (compatible with watchOS 3 and above), which helps patients with the watch to check and record basic information directly by the wrist. The App for the Watch to be visually accurate and functional as for the iPhone, moreover, what a very rare compliment to give.

One Drop is available for free on the App Store and Google Play.


One Drop Diabetes Management app icon

mySugr

Of all the apps analyzed here, the mySugr It is probably what brings the interface and operating philosophy more, shall we say, fun which makes it the best option for users who need a certain stimulus, such as children or the elderly. Despite this, a criticism to be made about the visual organization is a little confusing; it is not something that makes the app impossible to use, but the logic of resource availability and the density of information can be a bit overwhelming to start the conversation.

That said, mySugr presents all the usual suspects in terms of resources, with a record of meals, medications and glucose levels; a food catalog for quick addition (in the PRO version more about it below); (likely) hypoglycemia alert; Estimated calculation of the level of glaciated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and graphs / statistics of recent levels for a progressive monitoring of your body.

As a differential, the app brings challenges that can help patients achieve personal therapy goals, as well as motivational messages to encourage them to continue on the right path. Finally, there is also integration here with the Apple Health platform and its connected applications ah, and we also have here a version of the app for Apple Watch, in case smart watches are your thing.

There is also a PRO version of mySugr that additionally includes intelligent search for food and physical activities, bolus calculator, additional report formats (such as PDF and XLSX), blood glucose record reminders, priority support and unlocking all challenges (some of them are also available for ordinary users). This version can be purchased through an in-app purchase and costs R $ 4.50 / ms or R $ 90 / year.

MySugr is available for free on the App Store and Google Play.


MySugr - Diabetes Diary app icon

Glucose Buddy

This, one could say, the veteran of the group: the Glucose Buddy almost as old as the App Store itself, lasting for nine long years as one of the top diabetes control apps. Thankfully, contrary to what one might think, this does not mean that its interface and operation are archaic on the contrary, the app is well designed and has its functions well distributed, despite the basic design and without the frills of the others mentioned here (the which may, for some, be a positive point).

The basic version of Glucose Buddy brings a complete blood glucose record tool, with space for medication notes, meals and much more all on an organized and easy to use screen. It is possible to add notes for future reference, as well as see changes and trends in your glucose level in an hourly calculation. It is good to note that the application supports our language, but the translation does not read these things, some elements remain in English, creating a linguistic fruit salad that does not get in the way of use, but denotes a certain carelessness.

The app also has a very advanced weight control and nutrition side, with a tool that asks for your body information (weight, height, sex, age, goal, etc.) and, from there, provides tips on the amount of carbohydrates and calories to be eaten daily. It also automatically captures steps and other data, such as physical activities, all in integration with the Sade app.

If there is a criticism to be made to Glucose Buddy for its insistence with advertisements in the free version on each screen, a picture talking about the benefits of the version Premium is in a corner waiting to be accidentally clicked. Speaking of which, the paid edition has as differentials an automatic calculator of glaciated hemoglobin, tags customized, advanced progress charts, filter records and, of course, no advertising. It costs R $ 49 / ms or R $ 195 / year.

Glucose Buddy has free versions for iOS and Android.

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I really hope you enjoyed our selection. 😊