(Yicai Global) April 14 -- In a world first, Chinese researchers have discovered a way to test for the onset of senile dementia through expelled breath, according to the latest research.

Ten volatile organic compound ions contained in exhaled breath showed significant differences between cognitively impaired and mentally able individuals, according to the research team, which was led by Shen Lu, professor at Xiangya Hospital of Central South University's neurology department.

Three VOCs closely correlated with the plasma neurofilament light chain, a prognostic marker of cognitive decline, said the study, which was conducted on 1,467 people aged over 65 years.

And a combination of VOCs with neurofilament light chains had the best diagnostic ability, according to the paper 'A Detection Model for Cognitive Dysfunction Based on Volatile Organic Compounds From a Large Chinese Community Cohort' recently published in the academic journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia.

As the world’s population ages, senile dementia has become a major degenerative condition affecting human health. There are almost 50 million Alzheimer's patients worldwide and this is expected to increase to 152 million by 2050. Most screening tests cognitive functions, and these can be affected by various factors such as culture.

In China, researchers are trying to do early screening of Alzheimer’s in a non-invasive manner. Last month, a team led by Yu Jintai, deputy director at the neurology department in Fudan University’s Huashan Hospital, discovered a potential new Alzheimer’s biomarker called Plasma Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein.

The development of AI also provides new ways to diagnose Alzheimer’s but the technology still lacks high-quality medical data, adequate training and sufficient data protection, Yu said recently.

Editors: Dou Shicong, Kim Taylor