Increased breath nitric oxide in allergic children

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Exhaled nitric oxide was evaluated as a method to assess childhood asthma in the Cincinnati Asthma Prevention (CAP) Study. In a cross-sectional analysis of 170 tobacco-smoke exposed children aged 6-12 years, exhaled nitric oxide was correlated with multiple factors including allergen exposure and specific IGE results. Children who were sensitized to indoor allergens and those exposed to house dust mite allergen had significantly increased exhaled nitric oxide concentrations.

In an accompanying editorial, Professor Andrew Bush and colleagues comment on the value of managements of exhaled nitric oxide. In this rather entertaining editorial, they advance the idea that exhaled nitric oxide has many of the characteristics of an ideal “inflammometer.”