Early detection of kidney disease has always been an issue. The most common test for kidney function may lag behind actual changes in kidney function for many days in the acute setting. In addition the number of functional subunits in the kidney exceeds that which is required to maintain a normal result on most blood tests for kidney disease. Hence up 50% damage to the kidneys may occur before any abnormality may be detected on standard screening tests. The search for a better marker has been on for some time with different possible markers of kidney function currently undergoing trials. This study utilizes a very interesting approach, by comparing the breath of rats with kidney failure to the breath of rats without, the difference in molecular composition between both would likely give rise to a set of chemical signatures which may be detected by gas chromatography which would ultimately be able to say YES this person may have kidney disease because they are producing chemicals that people with kidney disease usually produce.
There are of course several hurdles to overcome before this would be routinely available, but the simple elegance of this solution suggests that this may prove to be a viable test in the end. Plus who likes needles, there are far too many needles involved in the care of patients with kidney disease as it is. This would be a breath of fresh air.
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