High levels of sweet smelling acetone on the breath could indicate Type 1 diabetes, say scientists
A breath test which will tell parents instantly if their child has Type 1 diabetes has been developed by Oxford University.
The test picks up levels of acetone in the breath and prevents the need for an invasive and upsetting blood test.
And it could mean that diabetes could be diagnosed within minutes rather than days.
The test works by detecting the harmful chemicals called ‘ketones’ which accumulate in the body when insulin levels are low.
“Our results have shown that it is realistically possible to use measurements of breath acetone to estimate blood ketones,” said co-author Professor Gus Hancock.
“Currently testing for diabetes requires a blood test which can be traumatic for children.
“Also, if the relationship between breath acetone and blood ketone levels is true at higher levels of ketones, a simple breath-test could assist with the management of sick days in children with diabetes, preventing hospital admissions.”
For more than 200 years acetone has been known to produce a sweet smell on the breath of diabetes sufferers.
Researchers wanted to test if the smell could monitored accurately enough to provide a diagnosis.
They collected the breath samples from 113 children and adolescents between the ages 7 and 18 and also took blood samples.
The found a significant relationship between increased levels of acetone in the breath of the subjects and increased levels of blood ketones.
Type 1 diabetes develops when the insulin producing cells in the pancreas have been destroyed.
No one knows for certain why these cells have been damaged, but the most likely cause is the body having an abnorma reaction to the cells. This may be triggered by a infection or for genetic reasons.
About 26,500 in Britain have Type 1 diabetes, with diagnosis normally taking place between the ages of 10 and 14.
The study was published in the Journal of Breath Research.
Sarah Knapton - telegraph.co.uk
