METHOD OF DETECTING COPD BY MASS SPECTROMETRY
L. Bregy, D. García-Gómez, M. Kohler, Y Nussbaumer-Ochsnerb, P. M-L Sinues, Y. Suter, R. Zenobi, J. Schmitz
Abstract: The present invention provides a method for determining whether a patient suffers from COPD, said method comprising the step of: a. providing at a sample comprising, or consisting of, exhaled breath of said patient to an ionization chamber of a mass spectrometer; b. simultaneously determining the presence, absence or relative concentration of at least two metabolites in said sample using said mass spectrometer; c. determining if the presence, absence or relative concentration of said metabolites is indicative of COPD by comparing the determined presence, absence or relative concentration of at least two metabolites to predetermined reference values, characterized in that the metabolites are chosen from the group of metabolites of amino acids, metabolites emanating from of an oxidative or carbonyl stress process, or from combinations of said groups, optionally together with pyridine.