On the Optical Monitoring of Anemia Severity Levels
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Date
2015-08-13
Authors
Dey, Ankita
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Waterloo
Abstract
Anemia is a prevalent medical condition that seriously a ects millions of
people all over the world. In many regions, not only its initial detection, but
also its monitoring are hindered by the limited access to laboratory facilities.
This situation has motivated the development of a wide range of optical de-
vices and procedures to assist physicians in these tasks. Although noticeable
progress has been achieved in this area, the search for reliable, low-cost and
risk-free solutions still continues, and the strengthening of the knowledge
base about this disorder and its e ects is essential for the success of these
initiatives. In this paper, we contribute to these e orts by closely examining
the sensitivity of human skin hyperspectral responses (within and outside the
visible region of the light spectrum) to reduced hemoglobin concentrations
associated with increasing anemia severity levels. This investigation, which
involves skin specimens with distinct biophysical and morphological charac-
teristics, is supported by controlled in silico experiments performed using a
predictive light transport model and measured data reported in the biomed-
ical literature. We also propose a noninvasive procedure to be employed in
the monitoring of this condition at the point-of-care.