Breath test
Encyclopedia
A breath test is a type of test performed on air generated from the act of exhalation.
Types include:
Types include:
- BreathalyzerBreathalyzerA breathalyzer or breathalyser is a device for estimating blood alcohol content from a breath sample...
- By far the most common usage of this term relates to the legal breath test to determine if a person is driving under the influence of alcoholAlcoholIn chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
. - Hydrogen breath testHydrogen Breath TestA hydrogen breath test is used as a clinical medical diagnosis for people with irritable bowel syndrome, and common food intolerances. The test is simple, non-invasive, and is performed after a short period of fasting . Even though the test is normally known as a "Hydrogen Breath Test" some...
- it is becoming more and more common for people to undertake a medical test for clinical diagnosisMedical diagnosisMedical diagnosis refers both to the process of attempting to determine or identify a possible disease or disorder , and to the opinion reached by this process...
of dietary disabilities such as fructose intoleranceFructose intoleranceHereditary fructose intolerance or fructose poisoning is a hereditary condition caused by a deficiency of liver enzymes that metabolise fructose...
, fructose malabsorptionFructose malabsorptionFructose malabsorption, formerly named "dietary fructose intolerance," is a digestive disorder in which absorption of fructose is impaired by deficient fructose carriers in the small intestine's enterocytes. This results in an increased concentration of fructose in the entire intestine.Fructose...
, lactose intoleranceLactose intoleranceLactose intolerance, also called lactase deficiency or hypolactasia, is the inability to digest and metabolize lactose, a sugar found in milk...
and lactulose intoleranceLactuloseLactulose is a synthetic, non-digestible sugar used in the treatment of chronic constipation and hepatic encephalopathy, a complication of liver disease. It is a disaccharide formed from one molecule each of the simple sugars fructose and galactose...
. - The presence of Helicobacter pylori (in peptic ulcer disease) can be tested for with the urea breath testUrea breath testThe urea breath test is a rapid diagnostic procedure used to identify infections by Helicobacter pylori, a spiral bacterium implicated in gastritis, gastric ulcer, and peptic ulcer disease. It is based upon the ability of H. pylori to convert urea to ammonia and carbon dioxide...
. - Exhaled nitric oxideExhaled nitric oxideIn medicine, exhaled nitric oxide can be measured in a breath test for asthma or other conditions characterized by airway inflammation. Nitric oxide is a gaseous molecule produced by certain cell types in an inflammatory response. The fraction of exhaled NO is a promising biomarker for the...
is a breath test that might signal airwayAirwayThe pulmonary airway comprises those parts of the respiratory system through which air flows, conceptually beginning at the nose and mouth, and terminating in the alveoli...
inflammationInflammationInflammation is part of the complex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. Inflammation is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli and to initiate the healing process...
such as in asthmaAsthmaAsthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
. - Breath Tests for Diseases have been developed by companies like Menssana Research, Inc. for early detection of Lung Cancer, Breast Cancer, Pulmonary TB and many others, to serve as an adjunct to existing medical tests. Phase II and Phase III clinical studies are under way to confirm the efficacy of these breath tests.