Source: Annual Congress 2002 - Miscellaneous respiratory infections in children
Disease area: Airway diseases, Paediatric lung diseases

Abstract

The level of exhaled NO (eNO) is increased in asthmatic patients and may be used as a marker of airway inflammation. It seems that eNO reflects asthma control.
The aim of the study was to investigate baseline eNO values and repeated measurements of eNO in asthmatic children with and without atopy, during a period of exacerbation.
Exhaled NO was measured by a chemiluminescence method in 27 untreated stable asthmatic children (18 atopic and 9 non atopic patients; age 5 to 15 years) at baseline and once a week for 4 weeks and in 9 healthy controls (age 5 to 15 years) at baseline. ANOVA and t test were used; a p value <0.05 was considered significant. Exhaled NO concentrations were reported in parts per billion (ppb) and results were expressed as mean+standard deviation (SD).
Atopic patients had higher eNO values (25.09+18.22 ppb) than non atopic patients (9.85+4.28 ppb; p<0.02, CI 13.32-26.52) and non atopic patients had higher eNO levels than healthy subjects (4.52+2.50 ppb; p<0.007, CI 4.92-9.18). No significant difference was found between baseline eNO values and weekly eNO measurements in the nine patients who developed asthma exacerbations. Nevertheless there was a trend toward an increased eNO with repeated measurements (25.52+22.70 to 29.97+29.41).
In conclusion, this study shows that atopic asthma patients have higher baseline eNO levels compared with non atopic asthma patients and that non atopic asthma patients have higher eNO levels compared with healthy subjects. The increase of eNO values in patients with exacerbations may reflect poor asthma control, as already shown in a previous study.

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Citations should be made in the following way:
F. Braida, F. De Franco, M. Don, L. Fasoli, P. Melli, M. Cossettini, M. Canciani (Udine, Italy). Exhaled NO in atopic and non atopic asthma children and in asthma exacerbations. Eur Respir J 2002; 20: Suppl. 38, 2097

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