Simulation of the human glucose metabolism using fuzzy arithmetic

With the object of future improvement of the medical treatment of diabetes, the human glucose metabolism is simulated using fuzzy arithmetic to take into account the uncertainties in the physiological model. For this purpose, the uncertain model parameters and the model inputs are represented by fuzzy numbers with their shape derived from experimental data or expert knowledge. To avoid the disadvantageous consequences of standard fuzzy arithmetic, a new implementation of fuzzy arithmetic is used which guarantees a proper solution of the problem. Finally, as a byproduct of the new implementation of fuzzy arithmetic, a measure of influence is introduced which allows a quantification of the percentile influence of each varying factor in the physiological model on the variation of the overall model output. By this, one can detect to what extent the model output is influenced by the different model parameter which is of extreme importance for the practical optimization of medical therapy.