Overview of Breath Testing in Clinical Practice in North America

Buford L Nichols; Robert D Baker; Susan S Baker

doi:10.1097/PG9.0000000000000027

Overview of Breath Testing in Clinical Practice in North America

JPGN Rep. 2020 Dec 3;2(1):e027. doi: 10.1097/PG9.0000000000000027. eCollection 2021 Feb.

Authors

Buford L Nichols¹, Robert D Baker², Susan S Baker²

Affiliations

¹ From the Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.
² Department of Pediatrics, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY.

Abstract

Human breath is an easily, noninvasively obtained substance. It offers insight into metabolism and is used to diagnose disaccharide malabsorption, infection, small bowel bacterial over growth, and transit times. Herein, we discuss the readily available clinical breath tests, how they function, how they are administered and interpreted and some pitfalls in their use.

Keywords: bacterial overgrowth; breath hydrogen; breath methane; breath testing; fructose; lactose; pediatrics; stable isotopes; sucrose.

Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer on behalf of European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition and North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition.

Publication types

Review