Signals in human breath related to Sarcoidosis. — Results of a feasibility study using MCC/IMS

Abstract

Using a 63Ni—Ion Mobility Spectrometer (IMS) coupled with a Multi-Capillary Column (MCC) the signals obtained are considered to identify characteristic peaks of volatile compounds in exhaled human breath samples of 10 mL volume. The breath of 20 patients with sarcoidosis and suspicion of sarcoidosis because of mediastinal lymp node enlargement was investigated. It could be shown that a procedure related to a single peak in the IMS-chromatogram delivers a differentiation into the two groups of patients with confirmed sarcoidosis and such suffering no sarcoidosis. The potential biomarker is characterised by the following parameters inverse mobility (1/K0) 0.53 ± 0.01 Vs/cm2—retention time 22 ± 5 s. These results are a first step in breath analysis by MCC/IMS in patients with sarcoidosis.