Exhaled breath analysis in obstructive sleep apnea

INTRODUCTION: Breath analysis is a novel application that can be used for non-invasive metabolic phenotyping and identification of disease specific breath patterns. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is highly prevalent and has diverse metabolic and cardiovascular consequences, many of them incompletely understood. Areas covered: This review systematically summarizes the current evidence from breath metabolomics using immunoassays of breath condensate, off-line mass spectrometry as well as real-time analysis by electronic sensors and by untargeted mass spectrometry, and discusses the challenges and perspectives of breath analysis in OSA. Expert commentary: Analysis of exhaled breath is an innovative approach that is likely to provide profound insights into the metabolomics of OSA and its consequences and might facilitate diagnosis and therapy monitoring.