Two-channel portable fluorescence meter for risk stratification of cardiovascular diseases

A portable fluorescence meter with two photodetector channels was developed for risk assessment of cardiovascular diseases by in vivo measurement of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) content in the skin. One of the channels served to measure the intensity of the skin autofluorescence, and the other channel was used for normalization to the patient's skin phototype by measuring the intensity of diffuse scattered radiation. A light-emitting diode with the peak wavelength 365 nm was used for excitation and silicon photodiodes with band filters served as photodetector assay. The AGEs measurements was performed for 70 patients with coronary heart disease and 100 practically healthy volunteers. The age grouping of patients have been used to reveal the trends in the variation of autofluorescence intensity with the factors of natural age degradation of skin collagen. It was shown that the pathologic process related to the metabolic stress directly determines the skin autofluorescence in patients with coronary heart disease.