Study on measurement of water content in human body by impedance method

In an aged society, the problem of urine incontinence is becoming more serious. Urine incontinence is a considerable factor in lowering the QOL (quality of life) of both elderly people and care workers. It is important to understand the micturition desire of elderly people in advance and to take appropriate care. Bioelectrical impedance analysis is one of the low cost and portable methods of examining the composition of the human body for this purpose. If the volume of urine collected in the bladder is quantitatively appreciable by the measurement of the bioelectrical impedance by simple equipment, it can be useful for the prevention of the urine incontinence in both nursing-care facilities and home care. An equivalent circuit model imitating the cross-section of biological body abdomen of the human body was made. The change in the current pathway before and after the collection of urine in the bladder when the current was simulated in the human body was examined. The validity of the simulation was verified by repeated measurements for the actual human body. From these results, the possibility to detect the change in total body water by the bioelectrical impedance analysis was examined.