pH in nasal exhaled breath condensate in healthy adults

This paper describes a new method to assess nasal pH in nasal exhaled breath condensate in adults. The study included 19 healthy, non-smoking, adult volunteers without current upper respiratory disease, COPD or asthma. Expiratory breath condensate (EBC) was collected from the nose and mouth respectively. A Jaeger breath condenser was fitted with a transparent facemask and during oral sampling it was fitted with a mouthpiece. The condensates were bubbled with argon gas for 10 minutes to reduce carbon dioxide and the samples were analysed immediately using a calibrated glass electrode and a portable pH-meter. The mean pH in the nasal EBC was 7.0 +/- 0.5 and in oral EBC 6.9 +/- 0.7 (p = 0.6). The nasal EBC-pH was well in agreement with data from previous studies, which measured pH directly on the nasal mucosa with an electrode. In conclusion, this paper describes a method to measure pH in nasal exhaled breath condensate (EBC) in healthy adults during tidal breathing. The nasal EBC-pH related well to previous data from intranasal pH measurements suggesting that nasal EBC-pH could have a role in monitoring pH alterations in the nasal mucosa such as nasal inflammation.