FEASIBILITY STUDY ON DEVELOPING AN OPTICAL FIBRE-BASED, NON-INVASIVE, ELECTRO-TEXTILE SENSOR FOR DETECTING BLOOD GLUCOSE

Abstract

The prevalence of diabetes, a long-term disease, has rapidly increasing in human beings. It is a metabolic disorder of having high or insufficient glucose levels. The 2010 census reveals that there were around 3.1 million people aged 16 or over with diabetes (both diagnosed and undiagnosed) in England. It has been predicted that by 2030, the number may rise to 4.6 million, with 90% of those affected having Type 2 diabetes. Currently, 285 million people worldwide are suffering from this condition; that number will probably increase to 430 million by 2030. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death. Medically, it is very important that diabetes is diagnosed at an early stage because otherwise, it will get progressively worse if left untreated. Early detection of the condition is a must. Several non-invasive technologies are used around the world to detect diabetes. However, each has specific problems and is not as conclusive as the invasive tests. Researchers and technologist even now are trying to develop a non-invasive technology that is more reliable than the existing non-invasive systems. Currently, almost all the available developments in this area are solid state devices that are bulky, conspicuous and cumbersome to carry around. To find a solution for a non-invasive method to detect diabetes in humans, this study examines different feasible methods that can detect diabetes non-invasively at an early stage.

Date of Award	1 Aug 2018
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The University of Manchester
Supervisor	Jayawan Wijekoon (Supervisor) & Anura Fernando (Supervisor)