In the article from Thiel more awareness is raised for lipohypertrophies – lumps on the stomach (2017). Dr. Matthias Kaltheuner is called an experimental diabetologist and he considers lipohypertrophies to be a neglected problem in diabetology, which can be detected with thermography. Below some fragments of the article about thermography use for lipohypertrophies:
But how can you determine which regions to stay away from when administering an injection or inserting a catheter because lipohypertrophy has grown there? Lars Kaltheuner, a PhD student, examined if lipohypertrophies can also be recognized using a thermal imaging camera as part of his dissertation. This is as a result of adipose tissue having a lower temperature due to its reduced blood supply. In an experimental field test, Kaltheuner junior investigated the skin of numerous individuals with and without insulin-dependent diabetes. He undressed her abdomen, gave her skin 20 minutes to cool, and then used a top-notch thermal imaging camera to take photographs.
Dr. Kaltheuner stressed that there is still no solid evidence linking skin temperature to insulin action. However, research showed that the skin temperature at catheter sites that were often used was up to 6 degrees Celsius lower than at other places. Additionally, the patients had mentioned these areas as having inadequate insulin effects. The skin temperature was not uniform across the entire abdomen, even in those without diabetes and without injection sites. Dr. Kaltheuner nevertheless believed that “this occurrence should be explored more thoroughly.” It’s feasible that less expensive thermal imaging cameras, or even smartphone apps for home use, are sufficient to measure the variations in skin temperature. Perhaps this story will motivate someone.