Relationship between exhaled volatile organic compounds and lung function change in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled breath have shown promise as biomarkers in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We analysed breath from 57 people with IPF using thermal desorption–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry to identify VOCs related to lung function change over 12 months. A LASSO regression model selected 63 VOCs associated with relative change in forced vital capacity (8 with correlation coefficient (CC) ≥0.20 on Spearman’s rank analysis), and 28 associated with relative change in diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide % predicted (12 with CC ≥0.20). Secondary analyses demonstrated a correlation between VOCs and baseline lung function parameters and association with survival. This study suggests that there may be a volatile signature of prognosis in IPF that merits further validation.