“Detecting Diseases Through Body Odor: Preeclampsia and Lung Cancer”

Jakarta –

In general, body odor is often caused by a person’s lack of hygiene. But recently, experts have come to believe that a deadly disease can be diagnosed by body odor.

Research has shown that certain diseases have their own ‘breath print’, which can be considered as a biomarker for the early diagnosis of that condition.

Body odor occurs when bacteria mixes with sweat. A person’s body odor is influenced by various factors such as hormones, diet, certain medications and underlying health conditions.

Other factors that affect body odor are humidity, genetics, being overweight and exercise. Hormonal factors such as menstruation and ovulation also cause changes in body odor.

How does disease affect body odor?

According to experts, when a person has a disease, the way his body works changes. Changes in different biochemical processes can lead to the production of small volatile molecules in the body, which are transported by blood throughout the body. The body then excretes it through breath, urine, and sweat.

“According to the scientific literature, there is evidence that the scent may contain markers for lung cancer, breast cancer, diabetes, melanoma and more,” said biomedical engineer at Israel’s Ben-Gurion University, Yehuda Zeiri, quoted from Medical Daily, Friday ( 12/5/2023).

The following are diseases that can be detected through body odor:

1. Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia is a hypertensive disorder (high blood pressure) caused during pregnancy. Complications usually begin after 20 weeks of pregnancy in women who don’t have blood pressure problems.

This condition increases the level of protein in the urine which indicates kidney damage and signs of damage to other organs. If left untreated, preeclampsia can cause complications for pregnant women and unborn children and can even lead to death.

According to a study published in 2016, preeclampsia can be detected using breath prints of pregnant women with an accuracy of 84 percent.

2. Lung Cancer

Lung cancer occurs when cells in the lungs grow abnormally. Studies have shown that lung cancer can be detected in its earliest stages using only a simple breath test called the Na-Nose.

Developers of the technology hope to expand its use to detect early signs of other serious diseases such as Parkinson’s, kidney disease, liver disease, Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis.

NEXT: Kidney Failure to Liver Failure

(after/kna)