Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 28, 2026
Breath Collection from Children for Disease Biomarker Discovery
Published on: February 14, 2019
GC-MS analysis of breath odor compounds in liver patients
Sandra Van den Velde1, Frederik Nevens, Paul Van Hee
1Department of Periodontology, Faculty of Medicine, Catholic University of Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33, BE-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
Background:
Liver diseases can cause a sweet, musty aroma of the breath, called fetor hepaticus. Even in a stage of cirrhosis, the disease can be asymptomatic for many years. Breath analysis might be helpful to detect occult liver pathology.
Study Objective:
This study examined whether specific breath odor compounds can be found in liver patients, suffering from cirrhosis, which might be useful for diagnosis.
Materials And Methods:
Fifty-two liver patients and 50 healthy volunteers were enrolled. Alveolar air was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Using discriminant analysis a model for liver disease was built.
Results:
Dimethyl sulfide, acetone, 2-butanone and 2-pentanone were increased in breath of liver patients, while indole and dimethyl selenide were decreased. Sensitivity and specificity of the model were respectively 100% and 70%.
Conclusions:
Fetor hepaticus is caused by dimethyl sulfide and to a lower extent by ketones in alveolar air. Breath analysis by GC-MS makes it possible to discriminate patients with breath malodor related to hepatic pathologies.
More Related Videos
08:23Real-time Breath Analysis by Using Secondary Nanoelectrospray Ionization Coupled to High Resolution Mass Spectrometry
Published on: March 9, 2018
09:19Capturing Actively Produced Microbial Volatile Organic Compounds from Human-Associated Samples with Vacuum-Assisted Sorbent Extraction
Published on: June 1, 2022
