TARGETED ON-LINE BREATH ANALYSIS SUPPORTS THE HYPOTHESIS OF ALTERED COLLAGEN TURNOVER IN IDIOPATHIC PULMONARY FIBROSIS

摘要

On-line breath analysis is a powerful technique to obtain insights into the metabolism of a person. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic and poorly understood lung disease. Following a recent study that reports increased levels of collagen related amino acids in lung tissue of IPF patients using GC-MS profiling[1], we hypothesized that these altered amino acid levels might be mirrored in exhaled breath, which would allow for a non-invasive screening of IPF.