“Translational Research on Exhaled Volatile Organic Compounds from Bedside to Bench"

Keywords: lung disease, non-invasive diagnosis, exhaled air

More than a billion people worldwide suffer from lung diseases. While the most common lung diseases can be diagnosed relatively quickly, rarer diseases take much longer to diagnose and tend to require more invasive methods. Examining exhaled air has proven to be a valuable alternative thanks to the non-invasive nature of this diagnostic method. This dissertation reveals that it's possible to diagnose two relatively rare lung diseases in a control group: pneumonia in an intensive care setting and interstitial lung disease. The dissertation also aimed to expand our understanding of the biological origins of VOCs in exhaled air and found that the inhalation of toxic substances influences the production of VOCs.