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Blood-Sugar Monitoring by Reflection of

Millimeter Wave

Conference Paper · January 2008

DOI: 10.1109/APMC.2007.4555070 · Source: IEEE Xplore

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Yoshio Nikawa T. Michiyama

Kokushikan University Nihon University
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Proceedings of Asia-Pacific Microwave Conference 2007
Blood-Sugar Monitoring by Reflection of Millimeter Wave
Yoshio Nikawa and Tetsuyuki Michiyama
Graduate School of Engineering, Kokushikan University
4-28-1 Setagaya, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, 154-8515 Japan
Abstract - Diabetes mellitus has now emerged as a serious
public health problem in Asia. To control blood glucose level,
blood-sugar monitoring is necessary. Nevertheless non-invasive
blood-sugar monitoring technique has not been in practical use.
Complex permittivity of blood is very sensitive to the glucose
concentration in microwaves. In this paper, a new technique is
proposed to obtain blood glucose level using a resonant
applicator non-invasively. It is found from in vivo measurement
of reflection coefficient using the resonant applicator, blood
glucose level can be obtained by measuring the value of reflection
coefficient at the resonant frequency.
Index Terms - Medical diagnosis, reflection coefficient, blood
sugar, In vivo measurement.
I. INTRODUCTION
In recent years, diabetes mellitus has now emerged as a
serious public health problem in Asia. An estimated 30
million persons in the South-East Asia region are affected at
present. It is estimated that by the year 2025 there will be
nearly 80 million diabetics in the region. According to these
estimates, by the year 2025, there will be an almost 170%
increase in the number of diabetics in developing countries,
while the increase in developed countries will be about 42%0 l ].
To control the diabetes, it is vital to measure the blood
glucose level. The available technique of the measurement is
now only invasive method, which is to collect the blood
sample from patients. It is not a light burden for them. It is
why the techniques of non-invasive measurement are strongly
demanded[2], [3]
The complex permittivity of blood is very sensitive to the
glucose concentration in microwaves. Nevertheless, high loss
of human tissues sometimes hide the change of complex
permittivity, if we measure the permittivity from outside, non-
invasively. The change of the reflection coefficient of human
model can be obtained the change of the blood glucose
level[4] [5]
In this paper, to apply microwaves to obtain blood
glucose level, reflection coefficient for the human tissue are
simulated and the improvement of sensitivity is considered for
the measurement of reflection coefficient. The technique is
applied in vivo and the result can be applied to measure
blood glucose level non-invasively.
1-4244-0749-4/07/$20.00 w2007 IEEE.
II. MEASUREMENT OF COMPLEX PERMITTIVITY OF GLUCOSE
The reflection coefficient is obtained by using an open
coaxial probe. The complex permittivity is calculated by
measured reflection coefficient. The experimental setup is
shown in Fig. 1. Vector Network Analyzer (Anritsu 37397C)
was used to measure the reflection coefficient from the open
coaxial probe at the room temperature. The total error of the
measurement is + 5% or less.
Fig. 2 (a) and (b) show the Cole-Cole plot of pure water
and glucose containing water with 5.0 % glucose concentration
using open coaxial probe. In Figs 2, the temperature of the
medium is changed and the complex permittivity was obtained
with the 8 °C of temperature range. It is found that the relative
dielectric constant decrease with increasing the temperature in
the lower frequency. Also, from the results shown in Figs. 2, it
can be found that the relative dielectric constant increase with
increasing the contents of glucose especially in the lower
frequency. Figs. 3 (a) and (b) show the result of the complex
permittivity versus frequency of the glucose solution which is
mixed with the 0.9 weight percent sodium chloride. The
results are shown with the glucose concentration as a
parameter. The results show that the frequency increases, the
relative permittivity and the dielectric loss decrease. From
Figs.3 (a) and (b), it is found that 1.0 weight percent change of
glucose concentration, the complex permittivity changes 0.386
- jO.325 in average. When glucose concentration changes 1.0
weight percent, the relative dielectric constant will change
2.0% and dielectric loss will change -1.2%. Therefore, by
measuring the microwave reflection coefficient, it might be
possible to measure the change of the blood glucose level.
Nevertheless high sensitivity measurement technique is
necessary.
III. MEASUREMENT OF REFLECTION COEFFICIENT
USING RESONANT METAL FIBER
In order to increase the sensitivity, a metal fiber is put
between the waveguide and the fingertip. The setup is shown
in Fig. 4. In Fig.4, metal fiber with the diameter of 0.05 mm,
the length of 4.8 mm is applied. PTFE with the thickness of Fig. 2. Cole-Cole plot of medium.
0.56 mm is attached on the aperture of waveguide.

23
o00 22
0000 0V
o11 00003
d 00. 000 analyzer
etwork
00000000
21
0' '

uUpen coaxial t 20
probe
ct

/T_ t__
Glucose solution
XP" 19

18
Hot plate
17
35 36 37 38
Frequency [GHz]
Fig. 1. Experimental setup to measure
complex permittivity of glucose solution. (a)Real part

28
Cole-Cole plot(Pure water)
A 320C tct 27
40 x 34°C
U)
Uo 35
0 x 36°C
0 30 - 38°C
'
26
0 25
+ 400C ct
a)
a)

1-
20 25
15
70 10
5 24
0 35 36 37 38
20 40 60 80 100 Frequency [GHz]
Relative dielectric constant (b)Imaginary part

Fig. 3. The frequency characteristic of complex permittivity

(a) Cole-Cole plot of pure water. of glucose solution.

Cole-Cole plot(Glucose concentration; 5% )

40 a 300C Metal fiber -

U)
Co
0
35 A 32°C

x 34°C
0 30
x 36°C
0
a)
25 - 38°C

a)
1-
20
15
70
10
5
0
0 20 40 60 80 100
Relative dielectric constant

(b) Cole-Cole plot of glucose contents water with 5.0%

concentration. Fig. 4. Diagnosis of blood sugar level by
microwave reflection coefficient.
 mm. The metal thickness is 40 ptm. Here, a = 22.4 mm, b
22.4 mm, c =2.78 mm, d =2.78mm ande= 1.36 mm.
-40

t ~~~~~~0.1%-65.57
-50 ; 0%: 67.25 i
C)

a
60

a)

70

b
55.5 56 56.5 57 57.
(a) Schematic of patch.
a)
Frequency [GHz]
a)

(a) Amplitude
100

a)

a)
-C)

a)
-200
(b) Patch feeder in waveguide side.
a)
-300
55 56 57 50 Fig. 6. General view of patch applicator.
Frequency [GHz]

(a) Phase
Fig. 5. Frequency characteristic of reflection Applicator
coefficient (amplitude). Incident wave

The simulated result of the reflection coefficient for

amplitude and phase are shown in Figs. 5 (a) and (b). In the
simulation, frequencies up to 60 GHz were performed. The Fingertip
results show that the 0.1 weight percent change of glucose
concentration, the resonant frequency of the reflection change
25 MHz. If the frequency is fixed at 56.64 GHz, the reflection Reflected wave
increases 1.6 dB for every 0.1 weight percent increase of
Skin (0.5mm)
glucose concentration. Also, from Fig. 5 (b), the change of w;aveguide
glucose concentration can be affected the phase change of
reflection coefficient. The method presented here is highly
sensitive to obtain the change of glucose level for the blood
flowing under the nail. Fig. 7. Setup of the applicator.

IV. MEASUREMENT OF REFLECTION COEFFICIENT USING

METAL PATCH
To develop more practical applicator for the measurement,
circular patch applicator is developed. The patch is fed by
waveguide. Fig. 6 shows the general view of the patch
applicator. The patch is on the epoxy resin substrate with 0.91
The applicator setup is shown in Fig. 7. The applicator,
directly attached to the fingertip, is set with waveguide. The
simulation was performed using TLM method to obtain
reflection coefficient.
 VI. CONCLUSIONS
22.7
22.69 Microwave has a great potential to apply to the field of
22.68
N
m 22.67 medicine. Simulated and experimental evaluations measuring
>1 22.66
IL
reflection coefficient in microwaves show the possibility of
o 22.65
o3 22.64 the non-invasive measurement of blood glucose level. From
a7 the in vivo measurement, the sensitivity of the reflection
22.63
22.62 coefficient as a function of the blood glucose ratio was 0.011
22.61
0 1 2 3 4 5
[dB/(mg/dl)]. This value can be enough detectable using such
contents[%] as vector network analyzer.

Fig. 8. Simulated reflection coefficient

vs. glucose contents.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This work was partially supported by Suzuken Memorial
Foundation and by "High-Tech Research Center" Project for
V. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS
Private Universities: matching fund subsidy from MEXT
The change of reflection coefficient was measured as (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and
changing glucose contents in resonant frequency. The result Technology), 2003-.
is shown in Fig. 8. It is found that the resonant frequency
becomes lower when the glucose contents become higher.
REFERENCES
These characteristics are corresponding to the characteristics
of the glucose solution (See Fig. 3). [1] Homepage related to diabetes; http://www.who.int/en/.
The change of reflection coefficient was measured in vivo [2] N. Hoshi, Y. Nikawa, K. Kawai and S. Ebisu,
for volunteer subject as changing glucose contents in "Application of Microwaves and Millimeter-Waves for
reflection coefficient. The result is shown in Fig. 9. The the Characterization of Teeth for Dental Diagnosis and
result shows that the change of resonant frequency is almost Treatment," IEEE Trans. Microwave Theory tech., Vol.
as linear to the change of blood glucose level and the ratio is 46, No. 6, pp. 834-838, June 1998.
0.011 [dB/(mg/dl)]. [3] Y. Nikawa, N. Hoshi, K. Kawai and S. Ebisu, "Study on
Dental Diagnosis and Treatment Using Millimeter
Waves", IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and
0 Techniques, Vol. 48, No. 11, pp. 1783-1788, Nov., 2000.
[4] T. Matsushita, M. Yamamoto, Y. Nikawa, "Basic study on
-2
Non-invasive Monitoring of Blood Sugar Level by
Measuring Transmission Coefficient in Millimeter Wave"
05
84mg/dl IEICE Trans. Electron., Vol. J84-C, No.6, pp.527-530,
89mg/dl June 2001.
1 00mg/dl
D 4
6
114mg/dl [5] Yong Guan, Yoshio Nikawa and Eiji Tanabe,
121mg/dl "Measurement of Transmission and Reflection
-7
Coefficient in Human Model to Blood Sugar Level by
Millimeter Waves", 2002 Asia-Pacific Microwave
-9
Conference Proceedings, pp. 889-892, Nov. 2002
-10
31.9 31.95 32 32.05 32.1 32.15 32.2 32.25 32.3
Frequency[GHz

Fig. 9. In vivo experimental results of return loss vs.

frequency as a parameter of glucose level.