The relationship of exhaled nitric oxide to airway inflammation and responsiveness in children.

Abstract

Exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) is a potential tool in epidemiological studies of asthma. It was hypothesized that in a cross-sectional survey of asthma in adolescent children, eNO may contribute to the detection of this disease. A cohort of Australian school children in two educational years (n = 107, aged 14.7 +/- 2.3 years, 42.9% female) were surveyed in terms of exhaled nitric oxide (eNO), which was compared with other indicators of asthma: asthma symptoms, atopy [skin prick tests (SPT)], hypertonic saline bronchial reactivity, sputum inflammatory cells and eosinophilic cationic protein. Significant positive correlations were found with eNO and number of positive skin prick tests (p = 0.001; n = 98), symptoms (p = 0.05; n = 107), sputum eosinophils (p = 0.025; n = 83), and sputum eosinophilic cationic protein (p = 0.009; n = 83). There was no significant relationship with airway hyperresponsiveness (p = 0.3; n = 15). eNO had a negative predictive value for asthma of 83%, and a positive predictive value of 54%, which is comparable with most current tests for diagnosing asthma. eNO appears to be a useful indicator of atopy and airway inflammation, but in this population it was not closely related to airway hyperresponsiveness.

• Authors: Paul S Thomas, Peter G Gibson, He Wang, Smita Shah, Richard L Henry
• Journal: The Journal of asthma : official journal of the Association for the Care of Asthma (J Asthma) Vol. 42 Issue 4 Pg. 291-5 (May 2005) ISSN: 0277-0903 [Print] England
• PMID: 16032938 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Eosinophil Granule Proteins
• Nitric Oxide

Topics

• Adolescent
• Asthma (diagnosis, metabolism, physiopathology)
• Child
• Eosinophil Granule Proteins (metabolism)
• Eosinophils (metabolism)
• Exhalation
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Nitric Oxide (metabolism)
• Predictive Value of Tests
• Skin Tests