JP5218106B2 - Blood component concentration change measuring device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a blood component concentration change measuring apparatus, and more particularly, to an apparatus for measuring the time change state of blood component concentration using sweat.

  For example, as a self blood glucose measuring device, a device that measures the concentration of a component in blood such as blood sugar is commercially available. However, these require blood collection from a fingertip or the like, and have problems of pain and infection. For this reason, a non-invasive measuring apparatus that does not require blood, although not commercialized at present, has been studied.

  For example, Japanese Patent No. 3692751 discloses a method using light as a non-invasive method for measuring the concentration of a component in blood. As other methods, various methods such as a method using photoacoustics and a method using impedance are tried. In these non-invasive devices that measure the concentration of components in blood, in order to estimate blood concentration indirectly, the relationship between the measured value and the concentration of component in blood is obtained in advance, and an estimation formula (calibration formula) is calculated. The blood glucose level and the like are calculated and displayed from the measured value by using the estimation formula.

  In recent years, a device that displays a blood glucose concentration almost continuously, such as every 5 minutes, has been developed by placing a glucose sensor, which is a sensor for measuring blood sugar (glucose) as a component in blood, under the skin of the abdomen. . Even in this method, the component concentration in the interstitial fluid is measured instead of directly measuring the component concentration in the blood. Therefore, before use, the blood glucose level is displayed after the blood glucose is measured and calibrated with a self-blood glucose meter or the like as described above.

Japanese Patent No. 3692751 JP 2006-87603 A

  As described above, since the conventional non-invasive measuring apparatus is intended to display the concentration of blood components such as blood sugar, calibration of measured values using blood, or calibration using blood in advance. There is a problem that it is necessary to create an expression. That is, there is a problem that even if the measurement of the blood component concentration itself is non-invasive, blood must be collected at least once in advance, which imposes a burden on the measurement subject.

  For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-87603 discloses a device that displays sugar metabolism ability as a measuring device, but this device also converts the blood sugar level and uses that value to determine the sugar metabolism ability. Therefore, blood collection is necessary.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and does not require correction or calibration using blood, and uses a sweat to measure the state of changes in the concentration of blood components over time. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, a blood component concentration change measuring device is a first component that has a correlation between a change in blood concentration and a change in sweat concentration. First measuring means for measuring the concentration, storage means for storing the reference value, calculating means for calculating the ratio of the measured first component sweat concentration to the reference value, and the calculated ratio are displayed. And processing means for performing processing for the purpose.

  Preferably, the change in the blood concentration of the first component is proportional to the change in the sweat concentration. More preferably, the first component is glucose.

  Preferably, the blood component concentration change measuring apparatus includes a second measuring unit that measures a sweat concentration of a second component different from the first component from the sweat used in the first measuring unit, and a second component And a correction means for correcting the sweat concentration of the first component using the sweat concentration.

  Preferably, the processing means ranks the calculated ratio and performs processing for display based on the rank.

  Preferably, the first measuring means performs the measurement of the concentration of the first component in sweat a plurality of times at regular time intervals.

  Preferably, the first measurement unit repeats the measurement until the ratio reaches a peak, and the processing unit performs a process for displaying the ratio at which the peak is reached. More preferably, the processing means performs processing for displaying a time from when the measurement is started by the first measuring means until the ratio reaches a peak.

  Preferably, the blood component concentration change measuring device includes storage means for storing the measurement result of the first measurement means in association with information for specifying the measurement time, and input means for receiving an input from the user. Furthermore, the prepared storage means stores the information specifying the input content at the input means and the information specifying the input time in association with the measurement result.

  Preferably, the blood component concentration change measuring device further includes means for prompting measurement by the first measuring means at a predetermined timing. Alternatively, preferably, the blood component concentration change measuring device further includes control means for executing measurement by the first measuring means at a predetermined timing.

  Preferably, the processing means performs processing for display based on a rank corresponding to an elapsed time from the reference time point.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to infer the concentration change of the blood component from the concentration change of the sweat component without blood collection.

It is a figure which shows the relationship between the sampled sweat sugar level and a blood glucose level. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the sampled sweat sugar level and a blood glucose level. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the sampled sweat sugar level and a blood glucose level. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the sampled sweat sugar level and a blood glucose level. It is a figure which shows the specific example of the ratio of the time change of the sweat sugar value with respect to the time change of a blood glucose level in a different to-be-measured person. It is a figure which shows the specific example of the external appearance of the perspiration apparatus contained in the measuring apparatus concerning this Embodiment, and the specific example of the external appearance of a measurement calculating device. It is a figure which shows the structure of a perspiration apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structure of a measurement calculating device. It is a block diagram which shows the specific example of a function structure of a perspiration apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the specific example of a function structure of a measurement calculating apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of perspiration operation | movement in a perspiration apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the measurement calculation operation | movement in a measurement calculation apparatus. It is a figure which shows the specific example of a display. It is a figure which shows the specific example of a display. It is a figure which shows the specific example of the time change of a blood glucose level. It is a figure which shows the structure of the measurement calculating apparatus concerning the modification 5. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the specific example of a function structure of the measurement calculating apparatus concerning the modification 5. FIG.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same parts and components are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same.

  The inventors of the present invention have a concentration of sugar (hereinafter referred to as sweat sugar) component in sweat, as shown in FIGS. We collected a lot of samples of changes over time with the concentration of blood glucose (hereinafter referred to as blood glucose level) and found that there was a correlation between them. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, it has been found that these relationships are proportional to substantially pass through the origin. It has also been found that the slope indicated by this relationship, that is, the ratio of the change in the sweat sugar value to the change in the blood sugar level is different for each subject as shown in FIG. FIG. 5 shows the results of measurement for 3 hours per day for different subjects A and B.

  Therefore, the blood component concentration change measuring apparatus (hereinafter abbreviated as a measuring apparatus) according to the present embodiment measures the concentration change of the blood component using the concentration change of the sweat component. In the following description, the component to be measured is sugar, but the same applies to other components.

  FIGS. 6A and 6B are diagrams showing a specific example of the appearance of the measuring apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. The measuring device 1 includes a perspiration device 10 (FIG. 6A) and a measurement computing device 30 (FIG. 6B), which are attached to measurement sites such as arms and legs with belts 2A and 2B, respectively. Used.

  Specifically, with reference to FIG. 7A, the perspiration apparatus 10 includes an introduction electrode 11 that is an anode and a reference electrode 13 that is a cathode inside a housing 19, which are connected to a control circuit 15. The display device 17 is arranged on a position on the housing 19 that can be visually recognized in a state of being mounted on the measurement site using the belt 2A, for example, a surface shown upward in FIG. 6A. The display 17 is also connected to the control circuit 15. FIG. 7A is a schematic view of the perspiration apparatus 10 as viewed from the upper side shown in FIG. A surface shown in FIG. 7A is a front surface of the housing 19. An operation unit such as a button (not shown) is disposed on the front surface of the housing 19, and the operation unit is also connected to the control circuit 15.

  FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram of the mechanical configuration of the cross section of the perspiration apparatus 10 at the position indicated by the arrow A in FIG. With reference to FIG. 7B, the introduction electrode 11 and the reference electrode 13 are located near the surface of the housing 19 that is far from the front surface of the housing 19, that is, the sweating device 10 using the belt 2A. In the state where it is attached to the measurement site, it is arranged at a position close to the skin 100 as the measurement site. Drug regions 12A and 12B are provided between the introduction electrode 11 and the skin 100 and between the reference electrode 13 and the skin 100 of the housing 19, respectively. In the drug region 12A, for example, a means for bringing the perspiration promoting agent into contact with the skin such as the sponge 41 containing a liquid containing a drug (perspiration promoting agent) that promotes perspiration such as pilocarpine liquid is set. Buffer means such as a sponge 42 containing a buffer solution is set in the drug region 12B. The drug regions 12A and 12B may have a configuration in which a drug is injected as it is, a configuration in which a gelled drug is set, or a configuration in which a drug absorbed in absorbent cotton or the like is set. It may be. The configuration of the drug regions 12A and 12B may be any configuration as long as the drug set in the drug regions 12A and 12B comes into contact with the skin 100 in a state where the sweating device 10 is attached to the measurement site.

  The control circuit 15 stores a current value in advance. When a control signal for starting sweating is input from the operation unit, the control circuit 15 generates a direct current from the introduction electrode 11 to the reference electrode 13 at a specified current value according to the control signal.

  With reference to FIG. 8 (A), the measurement computing device 30 includes a first component detector 31 that detects sweat sugar as a first component in sweat inside the housing 39. The first component detector 31 is connected to the control circuit 35. A display 37 is arranged on a position on the housing 39 that can be viewed with the belt 2B attached to the measurement site, for example, the surface shown above in FIG. 6B, and the display 37 is also controlled. Connected to circuit 35. FIG. 8A is a schematic view of the measurement arithmetic device 30 as viewed from the upper side shown in FIG. 6B. A surface shown in FIG. 8A is a front surface of the housing 39. An operation unit such as a button (not shown) is disposed on the front surface of the housing 39, and the operation unit is also connected to the control circuit 35.

  FIG. 8B is a schematic diagram of a mechanical configuration of a cross section of the measurement arithmetic device 30 at the position indicated by the arrow B in FIG. With reference to FIG. 8B, in a position close to the surface on the side far from the front surface of the housing 39 inside the housing 39, that is, in a state where the measurement arithmetic device 30 is attached to the measurement site using the belt 2B. A sweat collection region 32 is provided at a position close to the skin 100 as a measurement site, and means for collecting sweat from the skin 100 such as a sponge 43 for sweat collection is set. The sweat collection area 32 may be configured to collect sweat from the skin 100 as it is. Any configuration may be used as long as sweat can be collected from the skin 100 in a state where the measurement arithmetic device 30 is attached to the measurement site. Further, a waste liquid storage unit 36 for storing the waste liquid after the component detection is provided in the housing 39 of the measurement arithmetic device 30. A transport path 34 for transporting sweat is provided from the sweat collection region 32 through the first component detector 31 to the waste liquid storage unit 36.

  The machine configurations shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 are specific examples, and the configurations of the perspiration apparatus 10 and the measurement calculation apparatus 30 are not limited to the illustrated configurations. As another specific example of the configuration of the measurement device 1, the sweating device 10 and the measurement calculation device 30 which are separate devices shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B are replaced with one belt. The structure to be used may be used. In that case, for example, the control circuit and the display may be used in common in the perspiration apparatus 10 and the measurement calculation apparatus 30. With this configuration, the sweating device 10 and the measurement computation device 30 are attached to the same measurement site, and therefore the measurement computation device 30 efficiently sweats from the same position as the portion where sweating is promoted by the sweating device 10. Is collected. As another configuration, when the sweating operation is started in the sweating apparatus 10, an elapsed time after the start of the sweating operation may be displayed on the display unit 17. Moreover, the perspiration apparatus 10 and the measurement calculation apparatus 30 which are separate apparatuses shown by FIG. 6 (A) and 6 (B) may be comprised as one apparatus.

  FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a specific example of the functional configuration of the perspiration apparatus 10 that collects sweat from the skin 100. Each function shown in FIG. 9 is a function realized when the control circuit 15 of the perspiration apparatus 10 executes a predetermined control program. At least some of the functions may be realized by the machine configuration shown in FIGS. 7 (A) and 7 (B).

  Referring to FIG. 9, the function of sweating apparatus 10 is the operation input unit 101 that receives an input of an operation signal from an operation unit not shown in FIGS. 6 (A), 7 (A), and (B). And a control unit 103 and a current generation unit 105.

  The control unit 103 mainly includes a control circuit 15 and starts a sweating operation based on an operation signal input from the operation input unit 101. The sweating operation is started when the control unit 103 inputs a control signal for generating a predetermined current based on the operation signal to the current generation unit 105. The current generator 105 is also mainly composed of the control circuit 15 and performs a process for generating a specified current between the introduction electrode 11 and the reference electrode 13 in accordance with the control signal. By this processing, a direct current flows from the introduction electrode 11 through the skin 100 toward the reference electrode 13 through the sponge 41 containing the pilocarpine solution that is a solution containing a sweating accelerator. For this reason, the pilocarpine solution which is the substance of the introduction electrode 11 penetrates subcutaneously and is introduced to act on the sweat glands. Such a method of introducing a substance is called an iontophoresis method.

  When a predetermined time elapses from the start of the sweating operation, sweating starts from the sweat glands near the introduction electrode 11. When the pilocarpine solution is infiltrated for a certain period of time after the perspiration operation starts in the perspiration apparatus 10, the control unit 103 stops the generation of current in the current generation unit 105 in accordance with the operation signal for terminating the perspiration operation from the operation input unit 101. A control signal is output, and the sweating operation ends. The sweating operation may be terminated when the control unit 103 detects the passage of a certain time from the start of the sweating operation and outputs a control signal for stopping the current generation to the current generation unit 105.

  The measurement computing device 30 measures the change in the concentration of sweat sugar as a component in the sweat from the sweat sweated by the sweating device 10, and obtains the change in the concentration of the blood component in proportion to the change in the concentration. The measurement computing device 30 calculates and displays the value (sweat sugar value) measured after that with the value measured at a certain point in time (sweat sugar value) as a reference value.

  FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a specific example of a functional configuration of the measurement computing device 30 that measures the sweat sugar value as the concentration of the component in sweat from the sweat sweated by the sweating device 10 and calculates and displays the ratio to the reference value. FIG. Each function illustrated in FIG. 10 is a function realized by the control circuit 35 of the measurement arithmetic device 30 executing a predetermined control program. At least some of the functions may be realized by the machine configuration shown in FIGS. In FIG. 10, solid arrows indicate the flow of electrical signals, and dotted arrows indicate the transport of sweat.

  Referring to FIG. 10, the above-described functions of the measurement computing device 30 include a transport unit 301 that transports sweat contained in the sweat collection region 32, and a first component detection unit 303 that detects sweat sugar as the first component in sweat. The concentration calculation unit 307 that calculates the concentration of sweat sugar based on the detection signal from the first component detection unit 303, the reference value storage unit 308 that stores the sweat sugar value that is the reference value, and the concentration calculation unit 307 A ratio calculation unit 309 that calculates the ratio of the calculated sweat sugar value to the reference value, and a display processing unit 311 that performs processing for displaying the calculated ratio on the display 37 are included.

  The transport unit 301 transports the sweat contained in the sweat collection region 32 to the waste liquid storage unit 36 via the first component detector 31. When the measurement computing device 30 is configured to transport sweat contained in the sweat collection region 32 by injecting fluid such as compressed air into the transport path 34, the transport unit 301 is a mechanism for injecting fluid into the transport path 34. It is comprised including. Specifically, when injecting fluid by operating a mechanical configuration such as a pump, the transport unit 301 has a configuration that outputs the mechanical configuration and a control signal for operating the configuration. Consists of including.

  The first component detection unit 303 inputs a detection signal corresponding to the detected amount of sweat sugar that is the first component in the first component detector 31 to the concentration calculation unit 307. The concentration calculation unit 307 calculates a sweat sugar value that is a concentration of sweat sugar based on the detection signal input from the first component detection unit 303 according to a predetermined calculation program. A signal indicating the calculated density is input to the ratio calculation unit 309.

  The reference value storage unit 308 includes a storage circuit (not shown) and stores the perspiration sugar value as the reference value. The reference value storage unit 308 may store a value input from the operation unit as a reference value by a predetermined operation on an operation unit such as a button (not shown), or the perspiration sugar calculated by the concentration calculation unit 307. The value may be stored as a reference value by a predetermined operation on an operation unit such as a button (not shown). When the measurement apparatus 1 is used for different measurers, the reference value storage unit 308 may include a storage area for each measurer and store a reference value for each measurer.

  The ratio calculation unit 309 reads the reference value stored in the reference value storage unit 308 according to a predetermined calculation program, and calculates the ratio of the sweat sugar value input from the concentration calculation unit 307 to the reference value. As the simplest ratio calculation method in the ratio calculation unit 309, there is a calculation method in which the perspiration sugar value input from the concentration calculation unit 307 is divided by the reference value. The ratio calculated by the ratio calculation unit 309 is input to the display processing unit 311, and the display processing unit 311 performs processing for displaying on the display unit 37.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a flow of a sweating operation in the sweating device 10, and FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a flow of a measurement computing operation in the measurement computing device 30. These processes are realized by causing the control circuits 15 and 35 to execute predetermined arithmetic programs and controlling the respective units shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 to exhibit the functions shown in FIGS.

  For example, the sweating operation shown in FIG. 11 is performed after a sponge 41 containing a liquid containing a perspiration promoting agent such as pilocarpine liquid is attached to the drug region 12A, and the introduction electrode 11 is attached so as to be in contact with the sponge 41. Then, after attaching the sweating device 10 to the measurement site using the belt 2A so that the sponge 41 contacts the skin 100, the operation unit starts the sweating operation. When the operation input unit 101 receives an input of an operation signal from the operation unit, in step S101, the control unit 103 causes the current generation unit 105 to generate a current for flowing a predetermined DC current from the introduced power 11 to the reference electrode 13. A predetermined current is passed between the electrodes. When the elapse of a predetermined time from the start of the sweating operation is detected, or when an operation signal indicating an operation end operation is received in the operation input unit 101 after the elapse of the predetermined time, the control unit 103 causes the current generation unit 105 in step S103. The generation of current at is terminated, and the current flowing between the electrodes is cut off.

  Thus, the sweating operation in the sweating apparatus 10 is completed. Thereafter, the test subject releases the wearing state of the perspiration apparatus 10, removes the sponge 41 from the skin 100 as the measurement site, and cleans the skin 100. Thereafter, the measurement calculation device 30 is mounted at the same position using the belt 2B. The sponge 43 in the sweat collection region 32 collects sweat perspired from the skin 100 into which the pilocarpine solution has permeated.

  The measurement calculation operation in the measurement calculation device 30 is performed in the operation unit in a state where the measurement calculation device 30 is attached to the measurement site, or in a state where the attachment is released after sweat is collected on the sponge 43 after wearing for a certain period of time. It may be started when an instruction to start the operation is given, may be started when it is detected that the collected amount of sweat has reached a predetermined amount, or the first component detector 303 may start sweating sugar. The detection may be started by inputting a detection signal corresponding to the detected amount to the concentration calculation unit 307. The measurement calculation operation in the measurement calculation device 30 shown in FIG. 12 is started when a detection signal corresponding to the detected amount of sweat sugar is input from the first component detection unit 303 to the concentration calculation unit 307, and the calculation ends. It is assumed that the operation signal is terminated when the operation signal is input from the operation unit.

  Referring to FIG. 12, in step S301, when the concentration calculation unit 307 receives a detection signal corresponding to the detected amount of sweat sugar from the first component detection unit 303, the concentration calculation unit 307 calculates a sweat sugar value in sweat from the detection signal. In step S <b> 303, the ratio calculation unit 309 calculates a ratio of the perspiration sugar value calculated in step S <b> 301 to the reference value and inputs the ratio to the display unit 311. In step S <b> 305, the display unit 311 executes processing for displaying the result on the display unit 37. Thereby, the ratio with respect to the reference value of the measured sweat sugar value calculated in step S303 is displayed.

  The processes in steps S301 to S303 described above are repeated at a predetermined interval until an operation for terminating the calculation operation is performed, and the ratio of the perspiration sugar value to the reference value is displayed at the predetermined interval. When an operation signal for ending the calculation operation is input from the operation unit (YES in step S305), the conversion calculation operation in the measurement calculation device 30 ends.

  The blood sugar level changes depending on events such as meal intake, exercise, and medication, and the sweat sugar level also changes in correlation with the change. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13, the change state of the blood sugar level can be known by displaying the time change of the sweat sugar value.

  However, as shown in FIG. 13, when trying to compare the blood glucose level change state of a plurality of different measurement subjects (or the same measurement subject measured at different timings), for each measurement subject (or every measurement timing) Since the reference values are different, it is impossible to know whether the change state is the same or different only by simply comparing the blood glucose levels measured as shown in FIG.

  By performing the above calculation in the measurement calculation device 30 of the measurement apparatus 1, as shown in FIG. 14, the ratio is displayed from different reference values for each person to be measured, and the change in the ratio is displayed. . Therefore, even if it is not possible to grasp the change state by comparison with the display of the sweat sugar value as shown in FIG. 13, it is possible to grasp the change state by displaying the ratio as shown in FIG. 14. Can do.

  Furthermore, as described above, by setting the reference value as the sweat sugar value at the time of fasting or the like where the range of the blood sugar level is known, the approximate blood sugar level at the time of measurement is calculated based on the ratio from the reference value. It can be estimated without blood collection. That is, for a person in the boundary area (normal value), the fasting blood glucose level is 70-100 mg / dl. When the ratio is calculated in the measurement computing device 30 such that the measured sweat sugar value is, for example, twice the reference value that is the fasting sweat sugar value, the blood glucose level at that time is 140-200 mg / dl. To the extent it can be inferred from the ratio from the fasting blood glucose level of 70-100 mg / dl.

[Modification 1]
In the measurement arithmetic device 30 according to the first modification, the display processing unit 311 performs processing for causing the display 37 to display according to the ratio calculated by the ratio calculation unit 309. In the modification example 1, the display processing unit 311 stores a plurality of threshold values corresponding to the rank, and further stores a display mode corresponding to the rank. The display processing unit 311 compares the ratio input from the ratio calculation unit 309 with a threshold value to determine a rank that satisfies the ratio, and further displays a display mode corresponding to the rank for displaying the ratio. The mode is determined and processing for display is performed.

  Specific examples of the threshold when the reference value is the fasting sweat sugar value include 0.5 times, 1.5 times, 2 times, and 2.5 times. These threshold values correspond to the ratio of the boundary value with respect to the normal value in the blood sugar level range to the fasting blood sugar level. The display processing unit 311 compares the ratio input from the ratio calculation unit 309 with these threshold values, and when the ratio is smaller than 0.5 times, the rank of the ratio is set to “0”, and 0.5 If it is between 1.5 and 1.5 times, the rank is "1". If it is between 1.5 and 2 times, the rank is "2" and it is 2 to 2.5 times. In this case, the rank is set to “3”, and when it is larger than 2.5 times, the rank is determined to be “4”. As a specific example, the display processing unit 311 has, as a display mode corresponding to the rank, rank 0 is displayed in white, rank 1 is displayed in blue, rank 2 is displayed in yellow, rank 3 is displayed in orange, and rank 4 is displayed in red. The display color for each rank is stored. The display processing unit 311 performs a process for causing the display 37 to display the ratio in a color corresponding to the rank that the ratio input from the ratio calculation unit 309 satisfies. In this case, the display device 37 is provided with a mechanism such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) for displaying in a plurality of colors.

  The display mode is not limited to color, and may be the size of display. The rank itself may be displayed together with the ratio or in place of the ratio. The rank may be a character such as 0, 1, 2 or the like indicating the rank, a character such as “high” or “low”, or a mark (image). Moreover, the display which shows the position corresponding to a rank may be sufficient. Or you may display a ratio in the position corresponding to a rank.

  By displaying in this way, it is possible to easily grasp whether or not the blood sugar level estimated from the measured sweat sugar level is within the normal range, and take measures such as receiving a doctor's diagnosis at an early stage. It becomes possible.

[Modification 2]
The operation unit of the sweating apparatus 10 according to the modified example 2 includes a button for specifying and inputting an event that causes a change in blood glucose level. Examples of the event include pre-meal, post-meal, exercise, medication, and the like. Further, the event may include a physical condition that the measurement subject feels, such as being hungry or not feeling good. The control unit 103 includes a timer (not shown). When an operation signal indicating that the button is pressed is input from the operation input unit 101, the control unit 103 starts measuring a predetermined time.

  In the example described above, the control unit 103 starts the sweating operation illustrated in FIG. 11 when an operation signal indicating that a measurement start operation has been performed on the operation unit from the operation input unit 101 is input. However, in the perspiration apparatus 10 according to the second modification, the control unit 103 sets the time point when the operation signal indicating the pressing of the button corresponding to the event is input as the reference time point, and the above-mentioned predetermined time from the reference time point Assume that the sweating operation shown in FIG. 11 is automatically started when time elapses. Alternatively, the control unit 103 may perform a process for causing the display unit 17 to display a display for prompting measurement when the predetermined time has elapsed from the reference time point. Alternatively, measurement may be prompted by voice output or vibration instead of display. Further, the control unit 103 may repeatedly start the measurement for a predetermined number of times from the reference time point, and automatically start measurement or output for prompting the measurement each time. The “predetermined time” is preferably 2 hours.

  With this configuration, for example, after taking a meal, the measurement of sweat sugar is automatically performed after a certain time, and the change of blood sugar level corresponding to the change of the sweat sugar value every predetermined time in the measurement computing device 30 Can be displayed.

  In this case, the display processing unit 311 of the measurement arithmetic device 30 may process to display the ratios calculated in different display modes as shown in the first modification for each elapsed time from the occurrence of the event. Good. By doing in this way, the change state of the blood glucose level with time passage can be grasped easily.

[Modification 3]
In the measurement calculation device 30 according to the third modification, the concentration calculation unit 307 includes a storage device (not shown), and stores in advance the interval or number of times of concentration calculation. The interval or the number of times of density calculation may be stored in advance in the storage means, or may be input and stored by a predetermined operation of the operation unit. That is, in the latter case, the operation unit of the measurement calculation device 30 includes a time interval for performing concentration calculation or a button for inputting the number of times.

  When the storage device included in the density calculation unit 307 stores the density calculation interval, the density calculation unit 307 includes a timer (not shown) and performs an operation for density calculation at the stored time interval. Alternatively, when the storage device included in the concentration calculation unit 307 stores the number of times the concentration calculation is performed, the concentration calculation unit 307 includes a counter (not shown) and performs an operation for calculating the concentration until the stored number is reached. When the number of times is reached, the calculation for concentration calculation is terminated.

  The display processing unit 311 performs processing for continuously displaying the input ratio when the ratios for a plurality of densities continuously calculated by the density calculation unit 307 are input from the ratio calculation unit 309. Do. Specifically, the ratio is displayed in time series so as to indicate that the measurement was performed at a predetermined time interval. Further, the graphs may be displayed in the order of measurement. Alternatively, the graph may be displayed with the time as the horizontal axis and the ratio value as the vertical axis.

  By comprising in this way, the calculation for calculating the perspiration sugar value is repeated from the sweat collected by the perspiration apparatus 10 every predetermined time or until the predetermined number of times is reached in the measurement arithmetic unit 30, and continuously. From the calculated sweat sugar value, a change in the ratio with respect to the reference value is displayed in time series. Thereby, the change state of the sweat sugar value is easily grasped, and the change state of the blood sugar level can be estimated.

  In this case, preferably, the measurement computing device 30 includes a storage device (not shown), and specifies the ratio of the sweat sugar concentration calculated by the concentration calculation unit 307 and / or the reference value calculated by the ratio calculation unit 309 at the time of measurement. It is stored in association with information to be performed. Further, like the buttons described in the second modification, the measurement computation device 30 may include a button for specifying and inputting an event. In this case, the storage device of the measurement computation device 30 is included in the storage device. The information specifying the operation time may be stored in association with the information specifying the event previously associated with the operated button together with the concentration of the sweat sugar and / or the ratio to the reference value. Events include, for example, before meals, after meals, exercise, medication, hungry, and poor mood, as explained in the second modification. Applicable. By storing in this way, the measurement results are stored according to the time series, and the events at the time of measurement or between the measurements are also stored, so that the measurement results useful for diagnosis can be stored.

[Modification 4]
In the measurement calculation device 30 according to the fourth modification, the ratio calculation unit 309 includes a storage device (not shown), and temporarily stores the calculated ratio. Then, every time the ratio calculation unit 309 calculates the ratio to the reference value based on the input sweat sugar value, the ratio calculated last time is compared with the ratio calculated this time, and further concentration calculation is performed. Judging whether or not is necessary. Specifically, when the ratio calculated this time is larger than the ratio calculated last time, the ratio calculation unit 309 determines that further concentration calculation is necessary, and outputs a control signal for executing calculation for concentration calculation. This is input to the density calculation unit 307. When the ratio calculated this time is smaller than the ratio calculated last time, it is determined that further density calculation is unnecessary, and a control signal for ending the calculation for density calculation is input to the density calculation unit 307. Also good. In the modified example 4, the concentration calculation unit 307 stores the time interval for performing the calculation in advance similarly to the modified example 3, and in accordance with the control signal from the ratio calculation unit 309, the concentration calculation unit 307 performs the next concentration calculation through the time interval. Perform the operation. In this way, the concentration calculator 307 calculates sweat sugar values at predetermined time intervals until the ratio calculated by the ratio calculator 309 reaches a peak.

  Similar to the third modification, processing for displaying the ratio calculated until reaching the peak in time series is performed. Alternatively, the graph may be displayed with the time as the horizontal axis and the ratio value as the vertical axis. Preferably, the display processing unit 311 displays the timing at which the ratio is input from the ratio calculation unit 309 or the measurement time associated with the ratio when the ratio is input from the ratio calculation unit 309 in association with the measurement time. Based on the above, perform processing to display the time when the ratio calculated after starting the measurement reaches its peak, and after starting the measurement together with the calculated ratio or instead of the calculated ratio The time until the peak is reached is displayed on the display 37.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the time from the occurrence of an event that causes an increase in blood glucose level, such as the intake of a meal, to the peak at which the blood glucose level reaches the highest level is delayed as the symptoms of diabetes progress. It has been known. Therefore, the time to reach the peak can be used as one index of the progress of diabetes.

  By comprising in this way, the time until the blood glucose level as an index of the progress of diabetes reaches a peak can be confirmed from the display of the measuring apparatus 1.

[Modification 5]
As shown in FIG. 16, the measurement arithmetic device 30 according to the modified example 5 further includes a second component for detecting a second component other than the component to be measured which is the first component (sugar in the above example). A component detector 33 is included. The measurement calculation function of the measurement calculation device 30 according to the modification 5 further includes a second component detection unit 305 that detects the second component, as shown in FIG.

  The second component is a component in sweat other than the first component, and preferably, there is no relationship between the change in concentration in sweat and the change in concentration in blood, or the relationship is more than a predetermined correlation coefficient Low components are applicable. Even more preferably, a substance whose rate of reabsorption by the sweat duct from the sweat secretion part to the skin (sweat) is smaller than a predetermined value is applicable. Examples of the substance having a high rate of reabsorption by the sweat tube include water and sodium, and the second component is preferably not such a component. As the second component satisfying these conditions, specifically, when the first component is a sugar, for example, other amino acids such as lysine, glutamic acid, glutamine, and aspartic acid, calcium, potassium, and the like are applicable. In the present embodiment, the second component is lysine.

  The precise behavior and mechanism of changes in the concentration of the components in sweat are not accurately known at this stage. In particular, it is known that not only the sugar concentration but also the concentrations of other components are higher than the concentration after a predetermined time has elapsed in the early stage of sweating. Therefore, when estimating the concentration change of the blood component from the change in concentration of the component in sweat, there is a high possibility that the concentration change in the blood component estimated to use the concentration change of the sweat component in the early stage of sweating contains an error. .

  As one of the factors that cause a high concentration of sweat components in the early stages of sweating, the substance permeability of the sweat gland membrane changes temporarily in the direction of increasing the permeability in the early stages of sweating. It is conceivable that the permeability of the membrane is higher than the permeability after the initial stage. Based on this theory, since both the first component and the second component permeate through the sweat gland membrane in the early stage of sweating more than after the early stage of sweating, the component concentrations in various sweats become higher.

  The concentration calculation unit 307 uses this property to simultaneously measure the concentration of the first component and the concentration of the second component in sweat based on the detection signals from the first component detection unit 303 and the second component detection unit 305, By utilizing the change in the concentration of the second component, the change due to the permeability of the sweat gland membrane, which is dependent on the state of the measurement site unrelated to the blood concentration, is corrected, and the sweat sugar value that is the concentration of the first component Correct.

Specifically, the density calculation unit 307 includes a storage device (not shown) and stores coefficients α and β as predetermined coefficients. The concentration calculation unit 307 corrects the concentration B1 of sugar (glucose) as the first component with the calculated concentration C1 of lysine as the second component in sweat using the following formula, Get the sweat sugar value B:
B = B1- (αC1 + β).

  The density calculation unit 307 may obtain the coefficients α and β at the time of calculation instead of storing the coefficients α and β in advance. For example, the sweat sugar value, the sweat lysine concentration, and the blood sugar level may be calculated and determined a plurality of times when the blood sugar level is relatively stable, such as on an empty stomach. Moreover, you may determine from the measurement result of many people.

  By setting it as such a structure, the precision of the change state of a blood glucose level estimated from the change state of a sweat sugar value can be improved.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Measuring apparatus, 2A, 2B belt, 10 Sweating apparatus, 11 Introducing electrode, 12A, 12B Drug area | region, 13 Reference electrode, 15 Control circuit, 17 Display, 19 Case, 30 Measurement calculating device, 31 1st component detector , 32 Sweat collecting area, 33 Second component detector, 34 Conveyance path, 35 Control circuit, 36 Waste liquid storage section, 37 Display, 39 Case, 41, 42, 43 Sponge, 100 Skin, 101 Operation input section, 103 Control unit, 105 current generation unit, 301 transport unit, 303 first component detection unit, 305 second component detection unit, 307 concentration calculation unit, 308 reference value storage unit, 309 ratio calculation unit, 311 display processing unit.

Claims (12)

A first measuring means for measuring a sweat concentration of a first component having a correlation between a change in blood concentration and a change in sweat concentration;
Storage means for storing a reference value;
Calculating means for calculating a ratio of the first component sweat concentration to the reference value;
A blood component concentration change measuring device comprising processing means for performing processing for displaying the ratio.   The blood component concentration change measuring device according to claim 1, wherein a change in blood concentration of the first component and a change in sweat concentration are in a proportional relationship.   The blood component concentration change measuring device according to claim 2, wherein the first component is glucose. A second measuring means for measuring a concentration in a sweat of a second component different from the first component from the sweat used in the first measuring means;
The blood component concentration change measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising correction means for correcting the sweat concentration of the first component using the sweat concentration of the second component.   The blood component concentration change measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the processing means ranks the ratios and performs processing for display based on the ranks.   The blood component concentration change measuring apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first measuring means measures the concentration of the first component in sweat a plurality of times at regular time intervals. The first measuring means repeats the measurement until the ratio reaches a peak,
The blood component concentration change measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the processing means performs processing for displaying the ratio that has reached the peak.   The blood component concentration change according to claim 7, wherein the processing means performs processing for displaying a time from when the measurement is started by the first measurement means until the ratio reaches the peak. measuring device. Storage means for storing the measurement result of the first measurement means in association with information for specifying the measurement time;
An input means for receiving input from the user,
The blood component according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the storage unit stores, together with the measurement result, information specifying the input content at the input unit and information specifying the input time in association with each other. Concentration change measuring device.   The blood component concentration change measuring device according to claim 1, further comprising means for prompting the measurement by the first measuring means at a predetermined timing.   The blood component concentration change measuring device according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that causes the measurement by the first measuring unit to be performed at a predetermined timing.   The blood component concentration change measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the processing means performs processing for display based on a rank corresponding to an elapsed time from a reference time point.

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