Analysis of Exhaled Breath From Patients With Lung-/Airway Diseases (BigExBrESs)
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: No intervention.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Lung-/Airway Diseases. Basic parameters: from 18 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Switzerland
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Overview
Ananlyis of exhaled breath of patients with lung-/airway diseases to identify and distinguish respiratory diseases, and improve the disease manangament.
Detailed description
Breath analysis offers a unique opportunity to non-invasively retrieve unlimited samples of relevant information on the ongoing internal biochemical processes, as parts of the most volatile components in blood reach the gas phase and are subsequently exhaled (e.g. detection of ethanol in breath). Analysis of exhaled breath provides biochemical information about the metabolism and the pathophysiological state. Chemical analysis of exhaled breath with mass spectrometry identified numerous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) \[low molecular weightcomponents:\< 500 Dalton (Da)\]. Using Big Data analytics, specific patterns of diverse respiratory disease (e.g. for COPD and asthma) can be identified and the different diseases can be distinguished from each other. Specific Big Data Analytics might also improve the management of disease (e.g.avoiding of exacerbations) by identifying early signs of exacerbation risk.
Interventions
- Other No intervention
no intervention
Primary outcome measures
- Molecular breath pattern [Time frame: at baseline]
Secondary outcome measures (4)
- Change in molecular breath pattern [Time frame: over one year]
- Symptoms [Time frame: at baseline]
- Inflammatory markers [Time frame: at baseline]
- Controls [Time frame: at baseline]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Signed informed consent
- Age ≥ 18 years at study entry
Exclusion criteria
- Physical or intellectual impairment precluding informed consent or protocol adherence
- Known pregnancy
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Observational model
- Case-control
Study locations
Switzerland · 1 center
- University Hospital Zurich — Zurich
Publications
- Sievi NA, Schmidt F, Baur DM, Fricke K, Herth J, Serenyi D, Roeder M, Mosca N, Vesenbeckh S, Ulrich S, Clarenbach CF, Kohler M. Metabolic effects following initiation of single-inhaler triple therapy in COPD: a prospective observational study. Mol Med. 2026 Mar 3;32(1):51. doi: 10.1186/s10020-026-01449-w. PMID 41776387
- Basler S, Fricke K, Sievi NA, Arvaji A, Schmidt F, Herth J, Baur DM, Kohler M, Ulrich S, Lichtblau M. Exploring breath metabolomics as a non-invasive tool for detecting pulmonary vascular disease. Eur Heart J Open. 2025 May 23;5(3):oeaf060. doi: 10.1093/ehjopen/oeaf060. eCollection 2025 May. PMID 40474893
Identifiers
NCT: NCT05458934 · 2021-00539