A review of breath analysis for diagnosis of human health

Abstract

In this review, we describe technical developments in breath analysis and its applications in clinical diagnosis, monitoring disease state, and assessing environmental exposure. Breath tests have been successfully employed in clinical analyses for symptoms including lung disease, oxidative stress, gastrointestinal disease, metabolic disorders, and Helicobacter pylori infection. Although gas chromatography has been used mainly for the analysis of volatile constituents in breath samples, other techniques (e.g., sensors and lasers) have also been used satisfactorily. The analytical results of breath analysis can be derived both qualitatively and quantitatively. However, evaluation of the data from different approaches remains insufficient because of the lack of standardized procedures and poor methods of validation. Further research is therefore required to expand the applicability of breath analysis in clinical diagnosis of diseases.