Usefulness of the Measurement of Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide in Asthmatic Patients :Correlation with Pulmonary Function, Asthma Control and Health Status

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Background and objective:This study was conducted to investigate whether or not FeNO correlates with lung function tests, the Asthma Control Test (ACT) for assessing asthma control or the Asthma Health Questionnaire (AHQ-33) for evaluating the health status in asthmatics. Methods :FeNO was compared with the results of spirometry,ACT and AHQ-33 in 57 non-smoking patients with asthma and 17 healthy individuals without pulmonary diseases who had never smoked. Sixteen of 57 asthmatics treated with inhaled corticosteroid (ICS)underwent step-down therapy if they showed good/total control or step-up therapy if they showed poor control, and were evaluated by spirometry, ACT and AHQ- 33 prior to and more than one month after starting step-down or step-up therapy. Results :FeNO in asthmatics was significantly higher than that in the control group.There were no significant correlations between FeNO and FEV1, ACT score or AHQ-33 scores. However, there were significant correlations between the changes in FeNO and changes in FEV1, ACT score or AHQ-33 scores following stepdown or step-up therapy. Conclusion :FeNO is a useful marker not only for the diagnosis of asthma but also for asthma control and determining the health status in an individual patient, although it is variable without any correlation with symptoms and lung function among asthmatics. Shinshu Med J 59 : 239 ―247, 2011