Exhaled breath condensate in pediatric asthma: Promising new advance or pouring cold water on a lot of hot air? A systematic review

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Exhaled breath condensate (EBC) analysis is a simple non-invasive technique that allows repeated collection of breath samples with a minimum of inconvenience for the subject. These breath samples can potentially indicate lung disease activity and given the ease of collection, EBC is becoming a useful research tool in the study of respiratory diseases. It has the potential to be used in both population-based studies and in the context of pediatric asthma it may prove useful in diagnosis and monitoring. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted to identify studies of EBC markers in childhood asthma. RESULTS: Most of the studies were cross-sectional in design, and the results sugge..