Breath Detection of Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH)-Induced Metabolic Alterations Using Food Flavors.
The Early Liver Disease Breath Detection Study is a cross-sectional study where subjects with advanced liver fibrosis will ingest a mixture of food-grade compounds (known as Exogenous Volatile Organic Compound or EVOCs) in the form of an emulsion and then provide multiple breath samples. These EVOCs can be measured on exhaled breath and it has been found that liver diseases can affect the way EVOCs are processed in the body. The objective is to identify if changes in the way these EVOCs are processed in the body can have the potential to diagnose early stage liver diseases for these subjects. Subjects with fibro-scan confirmed fibrosis will be recruited from Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) by local research staff, they will be invited to take part in the study at a dedicated clinic at OneNorwich Practises a clinic based in Norwich City Centre. They will be asked to fast overnight then provide a baseline breath sample, before ingesting the food-grade EVOCs emulsion and then providing additional breath samples at subsequent time points up to 90 minutes post ingestion.
• Able to provide written informed consent.
• \>18 years old.
• Body weight \> 50 kg.
• Alcohol consumption - does not drink to excess (\>30 g/day in men, \>20 g/day in women).
• Fibroscan kilopascal (kPa) between 8.5 and 13.5 within 6 months and/or a liver biopsy within the last 3 years showing a fibrosis activity score ≥ F2 and a NAS score \> 4 with a diagnosis of non alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)