Noninvasive blood glucose monitoring in the terahertz frequency range

摘要

Human skin optical properties were studied in vivo using terahertz (THz) time-domain spectroscopy. For the attenuated total internal reflection (ATR) the silicon Dowe prism was used. The measurements were carried out on six volunteers with normal blood glucose concentration and in good health. A standard oral glucose tolerance test was also performed. The ATR spectra of palm skin were consecutively measured at 0-90 min after glucose intake. The variations of the ATR spectra of human skin were correlated with the changes in blood glucose level. The amplitude of ATR signal of human palm skin increased and the phase decreased when glucose concentrations in blood rose above the normal level. Our results demonstrate the possibility of a non-invasive real-time measurement of blood glucose concentration.