This article needs more reliable medical references for verification or relies too heavily on primary sources. (July 2014) |  |
A breath test is a type of test performed on air generated from the act of exhalation.[1]
| Breath test | |
|---|---|
| MeSH | D001944 |
Types include:
- Breathalyzer – 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 alcohol.
- Hydrogen breath test – it is becoming more and more common for people to undertake a medical test for clinical diagnosis of dietary disabilities such as fructose intolerance, fructose malabsorption, lactose intolerance and lactulose intolerance.
- The presence of Helicobacter pylori (in peptic ulcer disease) can be tested for with the urea breath test.
- Exhaled nitric oxide is a breath test that might signal airway inflammation such as in asthma.
- Breath tests for diseases have been developed for early detection of lung cancer, breast cancer, pulmonary tuberculosis and many others, to serve as an adjunct to existing medical tests. A trial will commence at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, England to confirm the efficacy of these breath tests.[2] Phase II and Phase III clinical studies by Menssana Research, Inc. in the United States are also under way.[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Breath+Tests at the U.S. National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
- ^ Beer, Gabriella (January 3, 2019). "A breath test with the goal of detecting multiple cancers is ready to start trials". Cancer Research UK. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
- ^ "Menssana Research, Inc". United States Government Small Business Innovation Research program. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
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