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Fractional exhaled nitric oxide in asthma: an update
Author(s) -
SANDRINI Alessandra,
TAYLOR D. Robin,
THOMAS Paul S.,
YATES Deborah H.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
respirology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.857
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1440-1843
pISSN - 1323-7799
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1843.2009.01616.x
Subject(s) - exhaled nitric oxide , medicine , asthma , eosinophilic , nitric oxide , confounding , lung function , airway , inflammation , exhalation , intensive care medicine , immunology , lung , pathology , spirometry , anesthesia
In asthma, clinical symptoms and lung function are insensitive in reflecting the underlying airway inflammation, and monitoring of this process has only recently become available. Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (F e NO ) is now recognized as a reliable surrogate marker of eosinophilic airway inflammation and offers the advantage of being completely non‐invasive and very easy to obtain. This review summarizes the clinical use of F e NO in asthma. It covers the relationship between F e NO and the underlying eosinophilic inflammation, the pathophysiology and production of F e NO , technical aspects of F e NO measurement and potential confounding factors in interpreting levels. F e NO reference values and the role of F e NO in asthma assessment, diagnosis and management are also discussed.