a Unit of Geriatrics , Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy.
Expert Rev Mol Diagn. 2019 Jan;19(1):47-61. doi: 10.1080/14737159.2019.1559052. Epub 2018 Dec 21.
The vast majority of respiratory diseases are associated with the production of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), the analysis of which might improve our knowledge about these disorders and their clinical management. The aim of this narrative review is to provide a comprehensive summary of current evidence supporting the application of breath analysis in the field of respiratory diseases, as well as suggesting potential applications available in the near future. Areas covered: A computerized literature search was performed to identify relevant articles reporting original data on the clinical use of breath analysis in respiratory diseases. Papers focusing on diseases other than respiratory, technical issues of VOC sampling and analysis, in vitro experiments or exogenous compounds were excluded. Expert commentary: Currently available evidence on the application of breath analysis in respiratory diseases is encouraging; however, it is mostly based on single-center studies without external validation. The standardization of the technique, together with multicenter clinical trials with external validation, will ensure it is ready for clinical use. Current and new applications in respiratory diseases may represent a major breakthrough in the field, so much so as to deserve further efforts in outlining the most effective way to apply VOC analysis for clinical purposes.
绝大多数呼吸系统疾病都与挥发性有机化合物（VOC）的产生有关，对这些化合物的分析可能有助于增进我们对这些疾病及其临床管理的了解。本综述旨在全面总结目前支持呼气分析在呼吸系统疾病领域应用的证据，并提出近期内可能的潜在应用。
通过计算机检索，查找了关于呼气分析在呼吸系统疾病中的临床应用的原始数据的相关文章。本文排除了重点关注除呼吸系统以外的疾病、VOC 采样和分析技术问题、体外实验或外源性化合物的文章。
目前关于呼气分析在呼吸系统疾病中的应用的证据令人鼓舞；然而，这些证据主要基于没有外部验证的单中心研究。该技术的标准化，以及具有外部验证的多中心临床试验，将确保其为临床所用做好准备。目前和新的在呼吸系统疾病中的应用可能代表该领域的重大突破，因此值得进一步努力，以确定为临床目的应用 VOC 分析的最有效方法。
