Improving the measurement of skin autofluorescence, or: working on the clinical applicability of skin autofluorescence from a biomedical engineering perspective

The detection of an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases is important in preventive health care. The measurement of autofluorescence (AF) of the skin with an AGE reader is a non-invasive and fast method for the assessment of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). AGEs are metabolic products that accumulate in tissues with low collagen turn-over, such as skin. Their amount is an independent predictor of cardiovascular risk. Many measurements of skin were performed in healthy subjects to assess age-dependent reference values in a Caucasian population. A new calculation method was developed for skin AF measures in people with dark skin. The method of AGE-measurement was also reliable in patients who are using haemodialysis.