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Age Does Not Affect Airway pH and Ammonia as Determined by Exhaled Breath Measurements

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Abstract

Measurement of airway pH has been used as a diagnostic and monitoring tool in a variety of pulmonary diseases in adults. These diseases occur across a wide age range. Few investigations have addressed the effects of aging on airway pH and ammonia. The aim of this study was to determine whether exhaled breath condensate (EBC) measurements of pH and ammonia differ in older and younger populations of normal subjects. Twenty-three normal younger individuals (median age-24 years) and 25 normal older participants (median age-72 years) were investigated by measuring EBC for pH and ammonia using recommended methodologies. EBC ammonia and pH values were not significantly different between younger and older individuals. Thus, we conclude that EBC ammonia and pH do not appear to be affected by age.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Dr. James McCluskey for his assistance early in the investigation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, College of Public Health, 13201 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., MDC 56, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA

    Stuart M. Brooks, Robert R. Haight & Robert L. Gordon

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, Divisions of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA

    Stuart M. Brooks

Authors
  1. Stuart M. Brooks
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  2. Robert R. Haight
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  3. Robert L. Gordon
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stuart M. Brooks.

Additional information

This work was supported in part by funds from a NIOSH NORA pilot project grant.

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Brooks, S.M., Haight, R.R. & Gordon, R.L. Age Does Not Affect Airway pH and Ammonia as Determined by Exhaled Breath Measurements. Lung 184, 195–200 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00408-005-2580-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00408-005-2580-1

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