JP2023030301A - Sarcopenia measuring instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a sarcopenia measuring instrument that allows a test of standing up from a chair five times in a sarcopenia evaluation to be easily executed alone without using a stopwatch and without needing a measurer.SOLUTION: A sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 includes a standing up measuring unit 30 having a vertical detection part 31 for detecting standing up and sitting down, and a timer part 32, and a housing 60 for housing the vertical detection part 31 and the timer part 32, and measures the number of times of standing up from a chair and sitting down on the chair, and an amount of time spent by the standing up measuring unit 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

The present invention relates to a sarcopenia meter. More specifically, it relates to a sarcopenia measuring instrument that measures the number of times a person sits and sits on a chair and the duration of that time.

Apart from the average life expectancy, there is also the term “healthy life expectancy”. This healthy life expectancy is a period of time in which care is required, and is said to be about 9 years for men and about 13 years for women, which is shorter than the average life expectancy. According to "Economic Effects of Health Promotion and Extending Healthy Life Expectancy (2015)," extending healthy life expectancy by one year, in other words, shortening the period of time requiring nursing care and support alone, will result in annual medical and nursing care costs of approximately 3.4 trillion yen. There is also a trial calculation that can save

In order to extend this healthy life expectancy, there is a concept called frailty proposed by the Japan Geriatrics Society. This indicates that a healthy person does not suddenly become in need of support or long-term care, but rather a transition zone in between. Sarcopenia, a syndrome characterized by a decrease in physical function due to a decrease in muscle mass and strength due to aging and disease, is incorporated into the frailty cycle. This decrease in muscle mass, which is characteristic of sarcopenia, causes general muscle weakness, slows walking speed, requires walking sticks and handrails, and interferes with daily life. As a result, the number of meals and the amount of meals also decrease as the amount of activity decreases, which greatly affects the progression of frailty. Therefore, the importance of early detection of sarcopenia has been pointed out. In the evaluation of this sarcopenia, it was necessary to measure the grip strength and the circumference (perimeter) of the lower leg.

By the way, as described in Non-Patent Document 1, sarcopenia diagnostic criteria were revised on October 24, 2019. Before the revision, the evaluation methods in general clinics and communities were the leg circumference and grip strength. The 5-time chair stand-up test measures the number of times the patient stands up and sits down on a chair and the duration of the sitting, and is generally performed by a measurer other than the subject using a stopwatch.

JP 2013-255786 A JP 2019-42267 A Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2021-30049

Japanese Society for Sarcopenia and Frailty | Sarcopenia Diagnostic Criteria Revision (Presented at AWGS2019) [Searched June 7, 2021], Internet (http://jssf.umin.jp/pdf/revision_20191111.pdf)

When performing the five-time chair stand-up test, there is an operational error due to the use of a stopwatch, and the measurement results must be read visually and written down. risk is high, and work efficiency is not high at all. In addition, it was not possible for an elderly person to easily measure by himself in the first place.

There is also a system for evaluating sarcopenia, as described in Patent Document 1, but even in such a system, the 5-time chair rise test is not taken into consideration. In addition, the present inventor applied for a measuring instrument that integrates the measurement of grip strength and the circumference of the lower leg as shown in Patent Document 2, but at that time, the measuring instrument also considered the five-time chair stand-up test. not. In addition, the 5-time chair rise test is not considered in the revised sarcopenia evaluation method, sarcopenia evaluation apparatus, and sarcopenia evaluation program of Patent Document 3 filed on February 14, 2020.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a sarcopenia measuring instrument that enables one person to easily perform a chair stand-up test for evaluating sarcopenia without using a stopwatch or without a measurer.

In order to achieve the above object, the sarcopenia measuring instrument of the present invention includes an up-and-down detection unit that detects standing and sitting, a standing-up measurement unit having a timer unit, a housing that accommodates the up-and-down detection unit, and the timer unit, It is characterized by measuring the number of times of standing and sitting on a chair and the time.

According to the sarcopenia measuring instrument of the present invention, when measuring the rising time in the standing-up test, there is no need for a measurer with a stopwatch as in the past. It is possible to perform the chair standing test in sarcopenia evaluation by one person.

Moreover, in the sarcopenia measuring instrument of the present invention, it is preferable that the standing-up measuring section further includes two grip sections provided on the housing section. With such a configuration, the sarcopenia measuring instrument can be firmly held in front of the subject's chest when measuring the standing-sitting time. Therefore, it is possible to measure with high accuracy. In addition, if the sarcopenia measuring instrument is configured to have a display unit, the subject can easily check the number of times by displaying the number of times of standing and sitting on the display unit. . Such a configuration is very preferable especially when an elderly person performs the measurement alone.

Further, the sarcopenia measuring instrument of the present invention includes a stationary grip provided in the housing, a movable grip provided in the housing and slidably held, a pressure detection unit housed in the housing, It is preferable to have a grip strength measuring part consisting of. With such a configuration, grip strength can also be measured using a sarcopenia measuring instrument, so grip strength measurements can be used instead of, or in conjunction with, a standing test to diagnose sarcopenia.

Further, the sarcopenia measuring instrument of the present invention includes a stationary grip provided in the housing, a movable grip provided in the housing and slidably held, a pressure detection unit housed in the housing, and one of the two grip portions is preferably the stationary grip. With such a configuration, the sarcopenia measuring instrument can be held more stably with both arms crossed when measuring standing-sitting time.

Further, the sarcopenia measuring instrument of the present invention is a crus circumference measuring unit comprising: a measuring string that is taken in and out of the housing; a holding unit that holds the measuring string; and an elongation detection unit housed in the housing. is preferably provided. With such a configuration, the sarcopenia measuring instrument can also be used to measure the leg circumference necessary for sarcopenia diagnosis. The measurement of the length using the leg circumference measurement unit may be used for measuring the chest circumference and abdominal circumference other than the measurement of the circumference of the leg.

In addition, the sarcopenia measuring instrument of the present invention includes a measurement string that is put in and taken out of the housing, a holding portion that is provided in the housing and holds the measurement string, and a contact point that is provided in the housing and contacts the measurement object. It is preferable that a crus circumference measurement section including a contact surface and an extension detection section housed in the housing is provided, and one of the two grip sections is the contact surface. With such a configuration, the sarcopenia measuring instrument can be held more stably with both arms crossed when measuring standing-sitting time.

As a more preferable configuration, one of the two grip portions is a stationary grip that constitutes the grip force measurement portion, and the other is provided on the housing and serves as a contact surface that constitutes the crus circumference measurement portion.

Further, in the sarcopenia measuring instrument of the present invention, it is preferable that an air pressure sensor is used in the vertical detection section. With such a configuration, according to the verification by the present inventor, the atmospheric pressure sensor has higher accuracy and less error than an acceleration sensor or the like when the vertical detection unit detects standing or sitting.

In addition, the sarcopenia measuring instrument of the present invention preferably comprises evaluation means for determining whether or not sarcopenia is suspected, and a display section for displaying the result. With such a configuration, sarcopenia can be evaluated using a sarcopenia measuring instrument.

FIG. 1A is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of the main part of a sarcopenia evaluation system using the sarcopenia measuring instrument of the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing the main part of the sarcopenia measuring instrument of the embodiment of the present invention. It is a diagram. It is a top view which shows the principal part of the sarcopenia measuring instrument of embodiment. It is a left side view of the sarcopenia measuring instrument of the embodiment. Imaging of a prototype sarcopenia instrument. FIG. 5A is an image showing the state before measurement of the circumference by the prototype of the sarcopenia measuring instrument, FIG. 5B is an image of the exit side of the measuring tape showing the measurement of the circumference, It is an image of the leading end side of the measuring tape showing that the circumference is being measured. It is a block diagram showing the main part of the sarcopenia measuring instrument of the embodiment. 7 is a flowchart showing a sarcopenia evaluation method of the control/calculation unit of FIG. 6; FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing details of a subroutine for measuring rise time (T) in FIG. 7; FIG.

Hereinafter, the embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It can equally be applied to those with various modifications without departing from the technical idea shown in the claims. In each drawing used for explanation in this specification, each member is displayed with a different scale in order to make each member recognizable on the drawing. are not shown in proportion to the dimensions of the

[Embodiment]
First, a sarcopenia evaluation system SYS using the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 of the embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1A is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of the essential parts of the sarcopenia evaluation system SYS. The sarcopenia evaluation system SYS is composed of a system server SER and one or more sarcopenia measuring instruments 1 connected via a local area network or a network N of the Internet.

The system server SER is a personal computer installed in a doctor's office or clinic. An input unit consisting of a keyboard, mouse, touch panel, etc. that performs evaluation, a display unit consisting of a display that displays evaluation item images, etc., which will be described later, and an output unit that consists of a display that outputs the judgment result by display and a printer that outputs on paper. It is configured. The system server SER implements the sarcopenia evaluation system SYS by executing various programs stored in the storage unit in the control/calculation unit.

Next, the configuration of the main part of the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1B to 6. FIG. FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing the appearance of the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 during measurement of the maximum circumference C of the lower leg, and FIG. FIG. 4 is an image of the prototype, FIG. 5A is an image of the prototype before measurement of the circumference, and FIG. FIG. 5C is an image of the holding portion 62 side of the handle 22 of the measurement string 21 during measurement of the circumference, and FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1. FIG. As shown in FIG. 1B, the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 is a small device that can be carried by doctors, nurses, elderly people, etc., and has a rechargeable battery (not shown) inside.

The sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 is a measuring instrument in which a grip strength measuring section, a length measuring section, and a standing measuring section are integrated. Specifically, as shown in the block diagram of FIG. It is composed of a control/calculation unit 50, a storage unit 51, a display unit 52, an input unit 53, a voice synthesis unit 54, a speaker 55, an amplifier circuit 56, and a communication unit 57, which are related to measurement of length, rise and pulse rate. As shown in FIG. 1B, the electrical and electronic components that constitute these components are housed in a box-shaped housing 60 having a non-square top surface and a large arcuate contact surface 61 on the side surface.

The grip force measurement unit 10 measures the grip force, and includes a stationary grip 11 provided in the housing 60 as shown in FIGS. 1B and 2, a movable grip 12 slidably held, and a It is composed of a pressure detection unit 13 shown in FIG. The stationary grip 11 and the movable grip 12 are grips that the subject holds when measuring the grip strength. The pressure detection unit 13 includes a load cell (load sensor) like a digital grip dynamometer, converts the subject's grip force applied to the movable grip 12 into an electric signal, and outputs the electric signal to the control/calculation unit 50 .

The lower leg circumference measurement unit 20 measures the maximum circumference C of the lower leg with the measurement string 21 . The lower leg circumference measurement unit 20 includes a measuring string 21 for measurement, which is taken in and out of a housing 60 as a measure and has a scale marked on it, and a contact surface 61 that contacts the maximum circumference C of the lower leg, which is the object to be measured. , and a holding portion 62 for holding the measurement string 21 tightly attached to the maximum circumference C portion of the lower leg. More specific description will be given.

As shown in FIGS. 5B and 5C, the measurement string 21 is belt-shaped, and the portion drawn out from the outlet 63 of the housing 60 is automatically pulled out of the housing 60 by a pulley equipped with a spiral spring, for example, like a tape measure. It is designed to be drawn inside. A handle 22 is fixed to the tip of the measurement string 21 as a stopper so that the tip of the measurement string 21 is not pulled into the housing 60 . This handle 22 is also a handle that is grasped to pull out the measurement string 21 . In addition, the measurement string 21 of the present invention is not limited to a belt-like one, and may be a rope-like one such as a thread.

As shown in FIG. 2, the arc-shaped contact surface 61 functions to stabilize the measuring instrument 1 by coming into contact with the lower leg when measuring the maximum circumference C of the lower leg. 1B, 2, 4, and 5, the outlet 63 of the measurement string 21 is provided on one side of the contact surface 61, and the holding portion 62 is provided on the other side of the contact surface 61. is provided in As shown in FIG. 2, the measurement string 21 drawn out from the outlet 63 goes around the maximum circumference C of the lower leg in contact with the circular arc surface 61, and the handle 22 at the tip thereof is held by the holding portion 62. . Note that the measurement string 21 of the present embodiment has a length that allows measurement of the waist circumference and chest circumference, and it is also possible to measure these measurements.

The handle 22 is formed with a tunnel-shaped projection 22a having a rectangular half-circle on one side, and the holding portion 62 is formed with a tunnel-shaped recess 62a into which the projection 22a is fitted. Since the protrusion 22a and the recess 62a have the same tunnel shape, it is possible to prevent the measurement string 21 from being twisted and the protrusion 22a fitting into the recess 62a. The protrusion 22a of the handle 22 is made of a ferromagnetic material, and a magnet is provided in the housing 60 near the recess 62a of the holding part 62, so that the handle 22 is held by the holding part 62 by magnetic force. It's like It should be noted that the holding method of the handle 22 is not limited to holding by a magnetic field, and a configuration in which the handle 22 is held by an engaging structure such as a hook can also be adopted.

The elongation detection unit 23 of the leg circumference measurement unit 20 shown in FIG. Thereby, the control/calculation unit 50 can know the length of the measurement string 21 pulled out from the outlet 63 .

As shown in FIG. 2, the length of the measurement string 21 pulled out from the outlet 63 is not strictly equal to the circumference of the maximum circumference C of the lower leg. Therefore, it is necessary to correct the length of contact of the maximum circumference C of the lower leg with the arcuate surface 61 and correct the portion where the measurement cord 21 is not in close contact with the maximum circumference C of the lower leg. These corrections can be made by storing correction values in the storage unit 60 . Specifically, for example, using several types of lower leg gauges having different circumferences in advance, the difference from the actual measurement value measured by the lower leg circumference measurement unit 20 is obtained as a correction value, and the correction value is can be used. Further, the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 as in the present embodiment can perform more accurate measurement by being equipped with the correction function as described above.

The standing-up measuring unit 30 is for measuring the standing-up and sitting-down time of the chair five times and the number of times. The rise measurement unit 30 includes an up/down detection unit 31 shown in FIG. The vertical detection unit 31 is specifically composed of an air pressure sensor installed in the housing 60, and detects whether the subject stands or sits by detecting the height from changes in air pressure using the air pressure sensor. Air is surprisingly heavy, and ^1m3 weighs about 1kg, so it is possible to measure altitude with high accuracy using an air pressure sensor. The timer section 32 is for measuring the time required for standing up and sitting down five times. The number of times of standing and sitting is counted, for example, by setting the subject's standing and sitting by the vertical detection unit 31 as one.

The two grip portions are portions for holding the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 with both hands of the subject when the subject holds the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 with both arms folded in front of the subject's chest. The standing test should be done with the arms crossed in front of the chest. At this time, for example, it is possible to measure by hooking the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 on the subject's waist or the like, but this causes the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 to easily vibrate, which affects the measurement accuracy. It is possible.

However, by providing two grips on the housing 60 as in the present embodiment, the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 itself can be firmly held in front of the subject's chest, thereby improving the accuracy. It is possible to measure well. In addition, since the subject holds the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 with both hands, the input unit 53 can be easily operated at hand. In addition, by displaying the number of times of standing and sitting on the display unit 52, the subject can confirm the number of times without counting the number of times. This is very preferable when the elderly person performs the measurement by himself.

In the present embodiment, one of the two grip portions is the stationary grip 11 that is provided in the housing 60 and constitutes the grip force measurement unit 10, and the other is provided in the housing 60 and is the crus circumference measurement unit 20. It is composed of a contact surface 61 that constitutes the By configuring the two grips of the stand-up measurement unit 30 with the stationary grip 11 and the contact surface 61 in this way, when measuring the standing and sitting time of the chair, the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 is held with both arms folded. can be held more stably.

The pulse rate measuring unit 40 is for measuring the pulse rate of the subject for a predetermined period of time. The pulse rate measuring section 40 includes a pulse detecting section 41 and a timer section 42 shown in FIG. The pulse detector 41 is composed of a pulse sensor and a heart rate sensor installed in the housing 60 . The timer section 42 is for measuring a predetermined time. Note that the timer section 42 may be shared with the timer section 32 of the rise measurement section 30 . In the present embodiment, the standing up measurement is performed with both arms crossed on the chest, and the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 is held in the chest at that time. Therefore, since the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 is positioned close to the heart, it is possible to measure the pulse rate together with the standing-up measurement.

The control/calculation unit 50 is activated by the program 511 in the storage unit 51, controls each unit, and performs sarcopenia evaluation operations such as measurement of grip strength, lower leg circumference, and standing up. The storage unit 51 is composed of, for example, a nonvolatile and rewritable EEPROM, and stores a program 511 and data 512 . The program 511 is software for the control/calculation unit 50 to perform control/calculation operations, and includes application software for starting the control/calculation unit 50, drivers for controlling each part, and software for evaluating sarcopenia. application software, etc. Data 512 is data necessary for the control/calculation unit 50 to perform control/calculation operations. , data downloaded from the communication unit 57, evaluation result data input from the control/calculation unit 50, and the like.

The display unit 52 has a liquid crystal display device 521 with a touch panel, and displays necessary for the operation of the control/calculation unit 50, such as characters of an input request, measurement results of grip strength, measurement results of the maximum circumference of the lower leg, and standing and sitting time. and number of times, sarcopenia evaluation results, etc. are displayed. The input unit 53 consists of a plurality of push switches 531 including a power switch surrounded by a two-dot chain line in FIGS. perform the required input operations.

The speech synthesis unit 54 synthesizes speech under the control of the control/calculation unit 50 . A speaker 55 emits a sound or a buzzer. The amplifier circuit 56 amplifies the volume of the speaker 55 under the control of the control/calculation section 50 . The communication unit 57 is for providing the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 with a communication function. Under the control of the control/arithmetic unit 50, the communication unit 57 wirelessly connects to the network N and uploads or downloads data to the system server SER connected to the network N. FIG.

As described above, the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 of the present embodiment includes an up-and-down detection unit 31 for detecting standing and sitting, a standing-up measurement unit 30 having a timer unit 32, an up-and-down detection unit 31, and a housing that accommodates the timer unit 32. 60, which measures the number of times the chair stands up and sits down and the time taken by the stand-up measurement unit 30. As shown in FIG. Therefore, when measuring the standing-up time five times in the stand-up test, it is possible to measure the standing-down time five times by the subject himself using sarcopenia measurement 1 without having a measurer with a stopwatch as in the past. can.

Moreover, the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 has a configuration in which the standing-up measuring section 30 further has two grip sections provided on the housing 60 . Therefore, the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 itself can be firmly held in front of the subject's chest when measuring five standing-sitting times. Therefore, it is possible to measure with high accuracy, and it is easy for elderly people to handle because the operation and the number of times can be confirmed at hand.

The sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 also includes a grip strength measuring section 10 . Therefore, since the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 can also be used to measure grip strength, the measured value of grip strength can be used as sarcopenia diagnosis instead of or in addition to the standing-up test.

The grip force measurement unit 10 includes a movable grip slidably held by a stationary grip 11 provided in a housing 60, and a pressure detection unit 13 housed in the housing 60. The stationary grip 11 is It forms one of the grips. Therefore, when measuring standing-sitting time, the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 can be more stably held with both arms folded.

The sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 also includes a leg circumference measuring section 20 . Therefore, the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 can also be used to measure the leg circumference necessary for sarcopenia diagnosis.

The crus circumference measuring unit 20 includes a measurement string 21 that is put in and taken out of the housing 60 , a holding unit 62 that holds the measurement string 21 provided in the housing 60 , and an object to be measured that is provided in the housing 60 . and an arc-shaped contact surface 61 with which the lower leg abuts, and this contact surface 61 forms one of the grip portions. Therefore, when measuring standing-sitting time, the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 can be more stably held with both arms folded.

In this embodiment and others, the two grip portions are the stationary grip 11 that is provided in the housing 60 and constitutes the grip force measurement unit 10, and the other is the lower leg circumference measurement unit 20 that is provided in the housing 60. , but both sides of the housing 60 (the left side of the housing 60 in the left side view shown in FIG. 3 and the right side of the housing 60 on the opposite side) can also However, with the configuration of this embodiment, when the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 is held with both arms folded in front of the subject's chest, the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 can be grasped on the long side, so that the armpits are more narrowed. , the posture of the subject is stabilized.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 is configured to include the grip strength measuring unit 10 and the leg circumference measuring unit 20 in addition to the standing up measuring unit 30, but for example, only the standing up measuring unit 30 , the two grips can be realized by, for example, making the sides of the housing arc-shaped or providing a rod-shaped portion.

In addition, the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 of the present embodiment includes a grip strength measuring unit 10, a lower leg circumference measuring unit 20, and a rise time, which are all measurements necessary for evaluating sarcopenia after the standard revision on October 24, 2019. Since the measurement unit 30 is integrated, it is possible to measure the maximum perimeter of the lower leg necessary for evaluating sarcopenia and to measure grip strength or rise time with a single device. Therefore, when measuring sarcopenia, it is possible to prevent forgetting to carry any of the measuring instruments.

In the present embodiment, the lower leg circumference measuring unit 20 includes a measurement cord 21, a contact surface 61 that contacts the lower leg, a holding portion 62 that fixes the measurement cord 21 in close contact with the maximum circumference C of the lower leg, However, it is not necessarily limited to such a configuration. For example, in the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1, the crus circumference measuring section 20 can be composed of a simply graduated band like a general tape measure.
Further, in the present embodiment, the contact surface that contacts the lower leg when measuring the maximum circumference C of the lower leg has an arc shape, but the shape is not limited to an arc shape.

Further, although the up-and-down detection unit 31 of the present embodiment uses an air pressure sensor, it is not limited to an air pressure sensor. may be used to detect vertical movement. On the other hand, when the present inventor conducted verification using an acceleration sensor or the like in addition to the air pressure sensor of the present embodiment, the air pressure sensor was able to perform accurate measurement.

In addition, the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 of the present embodiment can measure not only the grip strength value, the maximum circumference of the lower leg, and the rise time, but also the waist circumference, chest circumference, and heart rate, and can be used for other evaluations of the human body besides the evaluation of sarcopenia. Of course, it is also possible. For example, it can also be used to measure grip strength and waist circumference in clinics, sports gyms, and the like.

[Sarcopenia diagnosis flowchart]
As described in Non-Patent Document 1, sarcopenia diagnostic criteria have been revised, and a 5-time chair rise test is now acceptable instead of grip strength. FIG. 7 is a specific example of evaluation means for determining the presence or absence of suspicion of sarcopenia performed by the control/calculation unit 50 of the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1, and is a flow chart showing the operation of sarcopenia evaluation after revision. The control/calculation unit 50 sets the variable L as the measured value of the maximum circumference of the lower leg, the variable LS as the threshold value of the maximum circumference of the lower leg, the variable F as the measured value of the grip strength, and the variable FS as the threshold value of the grip strength. A variable T is set as a measured value of time (step S1).

The control/arithmetic unit 50 causes the liquid crystal display 521 to display whether the person is male or female, which is input by the input unit 53 (step 2). If male (Yes in step S3), set variable LS to 34 and variable FS to 28 (step S4); if not male (step S3 No), set variable LS to 33 and variable FS to 18 (step S5).

Then, in step S6, the control/arithmetic unit 50 causes the liquid crystal display 521 to display a request for measurement of the maximum circumference of the lower leg. In this measurement, the maximum circumference value of the subject's lower leg is detected by the elongation detection unit 23 of the lower leg circumference measurement unit 20, automatically input to the control/calculation unit 50, and displayed on the liquid crystal display 521. The user does not have to manually enter the maximum leg circumference value.

If the measured maximum circumference of the lower leg (variable L) is less than LS (Yes in step S7), the control/arithmetic unit 50 proceeds to step S8. Sarcopenia is determined and displayed on the liquid crystal display 521 (step S 15 ).

In step S8, the liquid crystal display 521 is made to display whether the next measurement is grip strength or standing up, which is input via the touch panel. If it is grip strength (Yes of step S9), it progresses to step S10 and measures grip strength, and if it is not grip strength (No of step S9), it progresses to step S12 and measures rise time.

In step S10, the control/arithmetic unit 50 causes the liquid crystal display 521 to display a request to measure the grip strength, and the measured grip strength is used as a variable F. In this measurement, the subject's grip strength value is detected by the pressure detection unit 13 of the grip strength measurement unit 10, automatically input to the control/calculation unit 50, and displayed on the liquid crystal display 521, so that the user can measure the grip strength value. No need to enter manually. If the measured grip strength (variable F) is less than FS (Yes in step S11), the control/calculation unit 50 evaluates sarcopenia and causes the liquid crystal display 521 to display that effect (step S14). Proceeding to S<b>16 , the obtained data and evaluation results are uploaded to the system server SER via the communication unit 57 . If the variable F is not less than FS (No in step S11), it is evaluated as non-sarcopenia, and the effect is displayed on the liquid crystal display 521 (step S15 via the connector A), and the process proceeds to step S16. Upload the obtained data and evaluation results to the system server SER.

Next, the rise time measurement in step S12 will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing detailed operations of the subroutine of step S11. The measurement of the rise time is the time to stand up and sit down 5 times. There is a standing height threshold to check proper standing, and a sitting height threshold to check proper sitting. The control/arithmetic unit 50 sets the variable H as the height of the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 (step S21). The variable H is the height detected by the atmospheric pressure sensor of the vertical detection unit 31, and is the height when the subject holds the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 on the chest with both hands. It indicates the height of Therefore, the variable H takes a low value when the subject sits on the chair, and the variable H takes a high value when the subject stands up from the chair. Further, the control/arithmetic unit 50 sets a variable N as the number of standing times, sets the initial value of the variable N to 0, sets a variable U as the height when standing, a variable US as a threshold for the standing height, and A variable D is set as the height when sitting, and a variable DS is set as the threshold for the sitting height (step S21).

The control/arithmetic unit 50 uses the voice synthesizing unit 54 to output "Please stand up" from the speaker 55 (step S22). Then, the variable U representing the height when standing is changed to a variable H (step S23). The control/arithmetic unit 50 causes the speaker 55 to say, "Sit down and press the start button" (step S24). When the start button is pressed (Yes in step S25), the variable D of the height when sitting is set to the variable H, the variable US is set to D+(U−D)×0.8, and the variable DS is set to D×1.1. (step S26). That is, if the person stands up to 80% or more of the height difference between standing and sitting, it is recognized as standing, and if the person squats down to 10% of the height when sitting down, it is recognized as sitting. UD and DS are thresholds that take into account that the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 held by the subject is displaced due to standing and sitting motions.

The control/arithmetic unit 50 causes the speaker 55 to say, "When the buzzer sounds, stand up" (step S27). After a predetermined period of time has elapsed (step S28), the timer unit 32 starts counting the rising time T (step S29), sets the variable N of the number of standing times to N+1, and sounds a buzzer from the speaker 55 (step S30). If the variable H is greater than or equal to the variable US (Yes in step S31), the speaker 55 is caused to output "N times" as the number of times of standing (step S32). At this time, the speaker 55 may say, "Please sit down."

If the variable H is equal to or less than the variable DS (Yes in step S33) and the variable N is not 5 (No in step S33), that is, if the number of rising times has not ended, the control/arithmetic unit 50 returns to step S30. to increment the variable N by 1, sound the buzzer, and repeat the start-up. If the variable H is equal to or less than the variable DS (Yes in step S33) and the variable N is 5 (Yes in step S33), the control/arithmetic unit 50 determines that the number of rising times has ended, and stops counting the rising time T. , the measured start-up time T is emitted from the speaker 55, saying "End. T seconds" (step S32), the subroutine of step S11 in FIG. 7 is terminated, and the process proceeds to step S13 in FIG.

In step S13, if the variable T of the rise time is 12 seconds or less, the control/calculation unit 50 evaluates sarcopenia, causes the liquid crystal display 521 to display that effect (step S14), and proceeds to step S16. Upload the obtained data and evaluation results to the system server SER. If the rise time variable T is not 12 seconds or less (No in step S13), it is evaluated as non-sarcopenia, and the effect is displayed on the liquid crystal display 521 (step S15 via connector A), and the process proceeds to step S16. The willingly obtained data and evaluation results are uploaded to the system server SER.
By such processing, the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 of the present embodiment executes the evaluation means for determining the presence or absence of suspicion of sarcopenia, and performs sarcopenia diagnosis.

Note that the method of calculating the threshold US of the standing height and the threshold DS of the sitting height in this embodiment is not limited to the method of step S26. Moreover, if the threshold US and the threshold DS are set in advance, steps S22 and S23 can be omitted, and measurement of the subject's standing can be started from a sitting state. Also, the threshold US and the threshold DS are not necessarily required, and the subject can start the measurement of standing up from the sitting state in this case as well.

On the other hand, by using the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1, even a single subject can measure the time to stand up from a chair. It is possible to prevent measurement.

In addition, the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 can download data lacking in sarcopenia evaluation from the system server SER via the communication unit 57 to evaluate sarcopenia. The sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 can also download past data from the system server SER and display it, or read it from the storage unit 40 and display it. In addition, even if the measuring instrument 1 does not have evaluation means for determining the presence or absence of suspicion of sarcopenia inside, the user can use the system server SER by using the measuring instrument 1 as a measurement terminal of the sarcopenia evaluation system. An assessment of sarcopenia can be made by assessment means.

In addition, the sarcopenia measuring instrument 1 stores the grip strength value and the maximum circumference of the lower leg measured for each individual in the storage unit 51 as data that can identify a plurality of individuals, and collectively stores the data in the system server SER. You can also send. At that time, for example, the measurement device 1 may be provided with an NFC (Near Field Communication) function to identify an individual by reading an IC tag prepared in advance for each individual. It can be easily realized by providing a code reader function and reading a pre-prepared bar code for each individual to identify the individual.

In addition, in the sarcopenia evaluation system SYS described in the embodiment, the grip strength value, the maximum lower leg circumference value, and the rise time can be obtained from the measuring instrument 1, and the system server SER and the measuring instrument 1 input the age, gender, A huge amount of information can be obtained, such as geography, exercise history, dietary trends, and so on. The sarcopenia evaluation system SYS can also provide a more effective guidance plan for each individual by performing analysis by artificial intelligence using such huge amount of information and knowledge information such as improvement guidance by experts. . In addition, as the sarcopenia evaluation system SYS continues to be used, information is accumulated more and more, so it is possible to create a new instruction plan by artificial intelligence using the accumulated information. In addition, the sarcopenia evaluation system SYS is expected to clarify diet and exercise that have a positive impact on healthy life expectancy from the huge amount of accumulated information by performing analysis using artificial intelligence. Therefore, based on the results of the analysis, it is possible to extend healthy life expectancy by calling attention to health and providing guidance from a young age.

SYS: sarcopenia evaluation system N: network SER: system server 1: measuring instrument 10: grip strength measurement unit 11: immovable grip 12: movable grip 20: leg circumference measurement unit 30: standing measurement unit 31: vertical detection unit 60: housing Body 61: Contact surface 62: Holding part C: Maximum perimeter of lower leg

Claims (8)

an up-and-down detection unit for detecting standing and sitting; a standing-up measurement unit having a timer;
a housing that accommodates the vertical detection unit and the timer unit;
A sarcopenia measuring instrument characterized by measuring the number of times of standing and sitting on a chair and the time. 2. The sarcopenia measuring instrument according to claim 1, wherein the standing-up measuring section further has two grip sections provided on the housing section. A grip force measurement unit comprising a stationary grip provided in the housing, a movable grip provided in the housing and slidably held, and a pressure detection unit housed in the housing. The sarcopenia measuring instrument according to claim 1. a grip force measurement unit comprising a stationary grip provided in the housing, a movable grip provided in the housing and slidably held, and a pressure detection unit housed in the housing,
3. The sarcopenia measuring instrument according to claim 2, wherein one of the two grip portions is the stationary grip. 1. A lower leg circumference measuring unit comprising a measuring string that is put in and taken out of the housing, a holding unit that holds the measuring string, and an elongation detecting unit housed in the housing. The sarcopenia instrument described in . a measurement string that is put in and taken out of the housing; a holding portion that is provided in the housing and holds the measurement string; a contact surface that is provided in the housing and contacts an object to be measured; Equipped with an elongation detection unit and a lower leg circumference measurement unit consisting of
3. The sarcopenia measuring instrument according to claim 2, wherein one of said two grip portions comprises said contact surface. 2. The sarcopenia measuring instrument according to claim 1, wherein an air pressure sensor is used for said up-and-down detection unit. 2. The sarcopenia measuring instrument according to claim 1, comprising evaluation means for determining the presence or absence of suspicion of sarcopenia, and a display section for displaying the result.

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