Exhaled breath condensate and respiratory diseases

In recent years the interest in investigation of the lungs by non-invasive means including sputum induction, exhaled nitric oxide, electronic nose and measurement of biomarkers in exhaled breath has been increasing. The collection of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) has recently received acclaim by identifying mediators that are both more and more sensitive and specific. The fact that great attention is being paid to this biological sample is evident from the increasing number of scientific papers available as well as the seminars, symposia and workshops that scientific societies have organized on this topic. However, the method for the collection and analysis of the EBC has not yet been standardized and none of the biomarkers studied has been validated sufficiently to allow a use in clinical practice. The hope is, as was the case with eNO and induced sputum, that exhaled breath condensate may also soon move away from the research laboratory to clinical and ambulatory practice and from there to home monitoring of the main respiratory diseases.