Type 1 diabetes could be diagnosed with simple breath test

26th November 2014

Oxford University Innovation spin-out Oxford Medical Diagnostics is working on a hand-held diagnostic to identify children with diabetes before they become ill.

Oxford Medical Diagnostics has announced results from a study conducted in collaboration with The University of Oxford University linking a sweet-smelling chemical marker in the breath with a build-up of potentially harmful chemicals in the blood that accumulates when insulin levels are low.

It is hoped these results—linking an increased level of breath acetone with increased levels of ketones in the blood—could inspire the development of a diagnostic device to identify children with new diabetes before the onset of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).

The results were published in IOP Publishing’s Journal of Breath Research.

DKA occurs when a severe lack of insulin means the body cannot use glucose for energy and starts to break down fat instead. Organic compounds called ketones are the by-product of the breakdown of fat and, if left unchecked, can build up and cause the body to become acidic.

About one in four children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes don’t know they have it until they develop DKA, which can cause severe illness.

Read more in articles in the Telegraph and Daily Mail

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