Can a simple breath test diagnose diseases in children?
NCT ID NCT04461821
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study aims to see if analyzing the chemicals in a child's breath can help diagnose and monitor diseases like asthma, neurological disorders, and type 1 diabetes. Researchers will collect breath samples from up to 3,600 children and teens to find patterns linked to these conditions. The goal is to develop a non-invasive, painless diagnostic tool for the future.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
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About 3,600 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Sep 2020
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2030
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
Participants presenting with an acute disease in the emergency department at the University of Basel Children's Hospital (UKBB). Participants with chronic diseases recorded at the University of Basel Children's Hospital (UKBB).
- Ages
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Up to 22 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Age 0 ≤ 22 years at study entry and signed informed consent Additional inclusion criteria for respiratory disease population: * Acute disease: - Acute signs for a respiratory disease, indicated by e.g. increased work of breathing (e.g. dyspnea, increased respiratory rate), cough or wheezing. * Chronic disease: - Suspected or confirmed chronic airway disease (e.g. asthma). Additional inclusion criteria for neurological disease population: * Acute disease: - Acute presentation or report within 24 hours of any signs of neurological deficit (motor function, sensoneural, or verbal). * Chronic disease: - Confirmed chronic neurologic disease (e.g. childhood epilepsy). Additional inclusion criteria for T1D disease population: * Acute disease: - Hyperglycemia and/or pH (venous) \<7.3, bicarbonate \>10 mmol/L, increased levels of acetone in blood or urine in the context of newly diagnosed or known T1D. * Chronic disease: - Confirmed diagnosis of T1D Exclusion Criteria: * Physical or intellectual impairment precluding protocol adherence. Additional exclusion criteria for respiratory disease population: * Known malignancy, active smoker (passive smoke exposure is not an exclusion criterium), known inflammatory diseases (e.g. autoimmune disease) that require medical and/or pharmacological treatment and is associated with an inflammatory response, relevant congenital defects Additional exclusion criteria for neurological disease population: * Known malignancy, active smoker (passive smoke exposure is not an exclusion criterium), known inflammatory diseases (e.g. autoimmune disease) that require medical and/or pharmacological treatment and is associated with an inflammatory response, relevant congenital defects. Additional exclusion criteria for T1D population: * Known malignancy, active smoker (passive smoke exposure is not an exclusion criterium), relevant congenital defects.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University Children's Hospital Basel (UKBB)
RECRUITINGBasel, 4031, Switzerland
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