Thorax 2000;55:484-488 ( June )

Dissociation between exhaled nitric oxide and hyperresponsiveness in children with mild intermittent asthma

Michela Silvestri^a, Daniela Spallarossa^a, Elena Battistini^a, Vito Brusasco^b, Giovanni A Rossi^a

^a Divisione di Pneumologia, Istituto G Gaslini, Largo G Gaslini 5, 16148 Genoa, Italy, ^b Cattedra di Fisiopatologia Respiratoria, Dipartimento di Scienze Motorie, Università di Genova, Genoa, Italy

Correspondence to: Dr G A Rossi email: giovannirossi{at}ospedale-gaslini.ge.it

Received 31 August 1999; Returned to authors 22 December 1999; Revised version received 24 January 2000; Accepted for publication 8 March 2000

BACKGROUNDBronchial hyperresponsiveness and airway inflammation are distinctive features of asthma. Evaluation of nitric oxide (NO) levels in expired air have been proposed as a reliable method for assessing the airway inflammatory events in asthmatic subjects. A study was undertaken to evaluate whether airway hyperresponsiveness is related to levels of exhaled NO.
METHODSThirty two steroid-naive atopic children with mild intermittent asthma of mean (SD) age 11.8 (2.3) years and 28 age matched healthy controls were studied to investigate whether baseline lung function or airway hyperresponsiveness is related to levels of exhaled NO. Airway responsiveness was assessed as the dose of methacholine causing a 20% decrease in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁) from control (PD₂₀ methacholine) and exhaled NO levels were measured by chemiluminescence analysis of exhaled air.
RESULTSAt baseline asthmatic children had significantly higher NO levels than controls (mean difference 25.87 ppb (95% CI 18.91 to 32.83); p<0.0001) but there were no significant differences in lung function parameters (forced vital capacity (FVC), FEV₁ (% pred), and forced expiratory flows at 25-75% of vital capacity (FEF_25-75%)). In the asthmatic group exhaled NO levels were not significantly correlated with baseline lung function values or PD₂₀ methacholine.
CONCLUSIONSThese results suggest that levels of exhaled NO are not accurate predictors of the degree of airway responsiveness to inhaled methacholine in children with mild intermittent asthma.


Keywords: airway inflammation; asthma; exhaled nitric oxide; methacholine; lung function

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© 2000 by Thorax
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