REVIEW PAPER
There’s something in the air – the role of volatile organic compounds in exhaled air in the diagnosis and treatment of asthma in children
1
Department of Pediatric and Allergy, Korczak Pediatric Center, Copernicus Hospital, Medical University of Łódź, Poland
2
International Doctoral Scholl, Medical University of Łódź, Poland
3
Medical University of Łódź, Poland
4
Department of Pulmonology, Korczak Pediatric Center, Copernicus Hospital, Łódź, Poland
Submission date: 2023-05-30
Final revision date: 2023-07-23
Acceptance date: 2023-08-13
Publication date: 2024-03-04
Corresponding author
Joanna Jerzyńska
Joanna Jerzyńska, Department of Pediatric and Allergy, J. Korczak Pediatric Center, Copernicus Hospital, 71 Piłsudskiego St., 90-329 Łódź, Poland
Joanna Jerzyńska, Department of Pediatric and Allergy, J. Korczak Pediatric Center, Copernicus Hospital, 71 Piłsudskiego St., 90-329 Łódź, Poland
Pediatr Pol 2024;99(1):61-65
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Bronchial asthma, which is the most common chronic disease of the respiratory system, causes significant diagnostic problems in younger children due to the difficulty of performing typical respiratory function tests, including spirometry. This problem is especially important for paediatricians, allergists, and pulmonologists. A new, promising method of objectifying allergic inflammation in the respiratory tract is the measurement of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled air. They are formed during the metabolic processes of the body’s cells and the microorganisms that inhabit it. Clinical benefits of the VOC profile have been proven in differentiating asthma phenotypes, monitoring its course, predicting exacerbations, and responding to treatment. However, further studies are needed to standardise this process and establish reference standards. The aim of this study is to review the latest literature on the usefulness of VOC profiles in exhaled air and the composition of the microbiome in children with bronchial asthma.
REFERENCES (23)
1.
Global Initiative for Asthma. Global Strategy for asthma management and prevention, 2023. Available from: http://ginasthma.org/.
3.
Pawliczak R, Emeryk A, Kupczyk M, et al. Standardy rozpoznawania i leczenia astmy Polskiego Towarzystwa Alergologicznego, Polskiego Towarzystwa Chorób Płuc i Polskiego Towarzystwa Medycyny Rodzinnej (STAN3T). Alergol Pol 2023; 10: 1-14.
4.
Smolinska A, Klaassen EMM, Dallinga JW, et al. Profiling of volatile organic compounds in exhaled breath as a strategy to find early predictive signatures of asthma in children. PLoS One 2014; 9: e95668.
5.
Pinthong N, Thepanondh S, Kondo A. Source identification of VOCs and their environmental health risk in a petrochemical industrial area. Aerosol Air Qual Res 2022: 22: 42-49.
6.
Van de Kant KD, van der Sande LJ, Jöbsis Q, et al. Clinical use of exhaled volatile organic compounds in pulmonary diseases: a systematic review. Respir Res 2012; 13: 117.
7.
Van Berkel JJ, Dallinga JW, Moller GM, et al. A profile of volatile organic compounds in breath discriminates COPD patients from controls. Resp Med 2010; 104: 557-563.
8.
Kokoszka J, Nelson RL, Swedler WI, Skosey J, Abcarian H. Determination of inflammatory bowel-disease activity by breath pentane analysis. Dis Colon Rectum 1993; 36: 597-601.
9.
Kinnula VL. Production and degradation of oxygen metabolites during inflammatory states in the human lung. Curr Drug Targets Inflamm Allergy 2005; 4: 465-470.
10.
Bisgaard H, Hermansen MN, Buchvald F, et al. Childhood asthma after bacterial colonization of the airway in neonates. N Engl J Med 2007; 357: 1487-1495.
11.
Huang YJ, Nariya S, Harris JM, et.al. The airway microbiome in patients with severe asthma: Associations with disease features and severity. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2015; 136: 874-884.
12.
Dallinga JW, Robroeks CMHT, van Berkel JJB, et.al. Volatile organic compounds in exhaled breath as a diagnostic tool for asthma in children. Clin Exp Allergy 2010; 40: 68-76.
13.
Brinkman P, van de Pol MA, Gerritsen MG, et al. Exhaled breath profiles in the monitoring of loss of control and clinical recovery in asthma. Clin Exp Allergy 2017; 47: 1159-1169.
14.
Paredi P, Kharitonov SA, Barnes PJ. Elevation of exhaled ethane concentration in asthma. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2000; 162: 1450-1454.
15.
Ibrahim B, Basanta M, Cadden P, et al. Non-invasive phenotyping using exhaled volatile organic compounds in asthma. Thorax 2011; 66: 804-809.
16.
Schleich FN, Zanella D, Stefanuto PH, et al. Exhaled volatile organic compounds are able to discriminate between neutrophilic and eosinophilic asthma. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2019; 200: 444-453.
17.
Ibrahim W, Natarajan S, Wilde M, et.al. A systematic review of the diagnostic accuracy of volatile organic compounds in airway diseases and their relation to markers of type-2 inflammation. ERJ Open Res 2021; 7: 00030-2021.
18.
Bannier MAGE, Kienhorst S, Jöbsis Q, et al. Exhaled breath analysis for investigating the use of inhaled corticosteroids and corticosteroid responsiveness in wheezing preschool children. J Clin Med 2022; 11: 5160.
19.
ATS/ERS recommendations for standardized procedures for the online and offline measurement of exhaled lower respiratory nitric oxide and nasal nitric oxide, 2005. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2005; 171: 912-930.
20.
Farraia M, Cavaleiro Rufo J, Paciência I, et al. Human volatilome analysis using eNose to assess uncontrolled asthma in a clinical setting. Allergy 2020; 75: 1630-1639.
21.
Abdel-Aziz MI, Brinkman P, Vijverberg SJH, et al. eNose breath prints as a surrogate biomarker for classifying patients with asthma by atopy. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2020; 146: 1045-1055.
22.
Brinkman P, Ahmed WM, Gómez C, et.al. U-BIOPRED Study Group. Exhaled volatile organic compounds as markers for medication use in asthma. Eur Respir J 2020; 55: 1900544.
23.
Majak P, Molińska K, Latek M, et al. Upper-airway dysbiosis related to frequent sweets consumption increases the risk of asthma in children with chronic rhinosinusitis. Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2021; 32: 489-500.
Share
RELATED ARTICLE
We process personal data collected when visiting the website. The function of obtaining information about users and their behavior is carried out by voluntarily entered information in forms and saving cookies in end devices. Data, including cookies, are used to provide services, improve the user experience and to analyze the traffic in accordance with the Privacy policy. Data are also collected and processed by Google Analytics tool (more).
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
