July 10th, 2008
Warning message
This news item is more than a year old. Links, graphics, content, medical information, and statistics may be out of date. We invite you to search, visit our homepage, or contact us to find more current information on the topic you're looking for.
Bad-breath test could save lung victimsBy Bill Hoffmann
December 29, 2003 -- People with lung diseases suffer from bad breath - a new finding that could lead to a simple test that might save countless lives, scientists say.
Researchers at the University of Virginia say people with conditions like asthma and cystic fibrosis have highly acidic breath and the acidity rises depending on how severe their condition is.
But a simple breath test could help doctors spot these diseases, they say.
Reference:
Eur Respir J. 2003 Dec;22(6):889-94.
Exhaled breath condensate pH is a robust and reproducible assay of airway acidity.
Vaughan J, Ngamtrakulpanit L, Pajewski TN, Turner R, Nguyen TA, Smith A, Urban P, Hom S, Gaston B, Hunt J.