Exhaled breath analysis in obstructive sleep apnea

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Breath analysis is a novel application that can be used for non-invasive metabolic phenotyping and identification of disease specific breath patterns. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is highly prevalent and has diverse metabolic and cardiovascular consequences, many of them incompletely understood.

Areas covered: This review systematically summarizes the current evidence from breath metabolomics using immunoassays of breath condensate, off-line mass spectrometry as well as real-time analysis by electronic sensors and by untargeted mass spectrometry, and discusses the challenges and perspectives of breath analysis in OSA.

Expert commentary: Analysis of exhaled breath is an innovative approach that is likely to provide profound insights into the metabolomics of OSA and its consequences and might facilitate diagnosis and therapy monitoring.

KEYWORDS:

• Obstructive sleep apnea
• exhaled breath analysis
• phenotyping
• biomarker
• metabolomics

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was not funded.