During Love Your Lungs Week, we highlight how breath analysis technology transforms our understanding, diagnosis, and protection of lung health. Non-invasive tools like the Smokerlyzer® Carbon Monoxide (CO) monitoring device and the NObreath® Fractional exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO) device turn a simple exhale into powerful clinical data.
Love Your Lungs Week, launched in 2019 by the British Lung Foundation (Now Asthma + Lung UK), is an annual health awareness campaign observed in the UK. The campaign aims to raise awareness about lung health and the importance of good lung health1.
With over 8 million deaths per year due to tobacco use2 and 455,000 asthma-related deaths3, more needs to be done to encourage better lung health. There are various challenges to aiding smoking cessation and improving asthma care and management, and this blog is going to look at how a simple breath test can help.
When we exhale, we breathe out various gases that have been absorbed into our bloodstream for various reasons. Some of these gases are found naturally in our exhaled breath. However, elevated levels of certain gases can cause harm or indicate inflammation in the airways.
Carbon Monoxide (CO)
CO is a colourless, odourless gas found in vehicle exhaust fumes, fires, and tobacco smoke. When CO is inhaled from tobacco smoke, it binds to haemoglobin in red blood cells to form carboxyhaemoglobin (COHb), which reduces the blood’s ability to transport oxygen to organs4. This can then lead to a variety of health complications, such as4: Cancer, Breathing and chronic respiratory conditions, Heart disease, stroke and blood circulation problems and Diabetes.
Nitric Oxide (NO)
NO is a gas that is naturally present in exhaled breath. In healthy lungs, it plays a normal role in immune defence and regulating airway function. However, increased NO levels can indicate airway inflammation, which is commonly found in patients with asthma5. If airway inflammation is untreated, it can contribute to several health risks, such as6:
- Airway and lung damage,
- Increased risk of infection,
- Severe asthma exacerbations.
Monitoring CO levels for a quit smoking attempt
CO monitoring devices, such as the Smokerlyzer®, are useful tools for aiding smoking cessation. By providing real-time feedback, the Smokerlyzer® allows users to see their CO levels decreasing, giving them that motivational push to succeed with their quit attempt.
Monitoring airway inflammation for asthma management
A FeNO test is a quick, easy, and non-invasive way to evaluate airway inflammation. The NObreath® device measures FeNO levels to evaluate airway inflammation to aid in asthma diagnosis and management. By incorporating FeNO testing into the asthma care pathway, healthcare professionals can monitor FeNO levels and guide treatment decisions.
Various studies and reports have highlighted the importance of CO monitoring devices for smoking cessation and FeNO testing for asthma care and management.
- CO monitoring devices
A study by Beard and West (2012) on the effectiveness of personal Carbon Monoxide monitoring found that out of 10 smokers, “7 of the smokers reported that they felt as though the devices had reduced their cigarette consumption… 6 smokers reported a lower nicotine dependency relative to baseline. Over the 6 weeks, there appeared to be a significant decline in the number of cigarettes smoked per day7”.
- FeNO testing
In a recent study by Lewis et al (2025), on the qualitative insights into planning implementation of FeNO-guided asthma management in primary care found that participants, comprising policymakers, healthcare managers, NHS commissioners, healthcare professionals with extended roles, patients, and patient advocates, acknowledged that FeNO-informed asthma management could enhance care by providing objective measures of airway inflammation, aiding in personalised treatment8.
Love Your Lungs Week is dedicated to raising awareness of lung health and encouraging people to take better care of their respiratory health. This week is the perfect time to take control of lung health. A simple breath test with devices like the Smokerlyzer® and NObreath® can motivate a quit smoking attempt or ensure that someone with asthma can live a normal, unrestricted life with their condition well-controlled.
To learn more about the Smokerlyzer® and NObreath®, visit the website here.
References
- Love Your Lungs Week [Internet]. Asthma + Lung UK. 2025 [cited 2025 May 19]. Available from: https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/love-your-lungs-week
- Dogar O, Amer Nordin AS, Barnoya J, Ayo-Yusuf O, Bullen C. Tobacco Cessation Research in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A commentary on Challenges, Innovations and Opportunities. Nicotine and Tobacco Research [Internet]. 2025 Jan 22 [cited 2025 Jan 25]; Available from: https://academic.oup.com/ntr/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/ntr/ntaf019/7972768?redirectedFrom=PDF&casa_token=TetwwA-qTqMAAAAA:aiUt-AK625v2nZKcN2MGbrWVOaPNqm8wdog5APMKjDkVjjTyTmU6myO6F_L3x585rvPTLCSxIAxkp
- World Health Organization. Asthma [Internet]. World Health Organization. World Health Organization; 2024. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/asthma
- UK Health Security Agency. Carbon monoxide: general information [Internet]. GOV.UK. 2022. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/carbon-monoxide-properties-incident-management-and-toxicology/carbon-monoxide-general-information
- Ritz T, Salsman ML, Young DA, Lippert AR, Khan DA, Ginty AT. Boosting nitric oxide in stress and respiratory infection: Potential relevance for asthma and COVID-19. Brain, Behavior, & Immunity – Health [Internet]. 2021 Jul [cited 2023 Mar 2];14:100255. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8019595/
- Asthma.com. Effects of Asthma Over Time | Asthma.com [Internet]. www.asthma.com. 2021. Available from: https://www.asthma.com/treating-asthma/effects-of-asthma/
- Pilot Study of the Use of Personal Carbon Monoxide Monitoring to Achieve Radical Smoking Reduction. Journal of Smoking Cessation. Emma Beard and Robert West (2012). [cited on 31/5/24] Available from https://web.archive.org/web/20180721211143id_/https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/0BAC2289E42E9C31C892D54BF7980237/S1834261212000011a.pdf/div-class-title-pilot-study-of-the-use-of-personal-carbon-monoxide-monitoring-to-achieve-radical-smoking-reduction-div.pdf
Lewis G, Morton K, Santillo M, Yardley L, Wang K, Ainsworth B, et al. Qualitative insights into planning implementation of FeNO-guided asthma management in primary care. npj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine. 2025 Mar 20;35(1). Available from https://www.nature.com/articles/s41533-025-00418-w
