Exhaled Nitric Oxide Levels During Treatment of Pediatric Acute Asthma Exacerbations and Association With the Need for Hospitalization

The Effect of Viral Infection on Exhaled Nitric Oxide in Children with Acute Asthma Exacerbations

“…This study was limited by the technique used to measure FENO levels and the lack of baseline FENO levels. Nelson et al 15 sought to determine whether FENO levels at the time of an ED visit could predict children requiring hospitalization for acute asthma and found that FENO levels could not distinguish children requiring hospitalization from those who were discharged to home. This study was limited by the small number of children who required hospitalization compared with those who were discharged to home.…”

“…In 1 of 2 recently published studies, FENO was not found to be useful in acute asthma because it could be measured only in 68% of the children presenting to the emergency department (ED) with acute asthma, 14 while in the second study, FENO failed to distinguish children requiring hospitalization from those who were discharged to home. 15 In neither study were FENO levels available at baseline, nor an attempt was made to determine what role viral infections played in FENO levels. The aims of this study were 2-fold: to determine whether the FENO level is elevated during an acute asthma exacerbation compared with baseline in children with persistent asthma and to determine the influence of viral infections on FENO levels in children presenting with an acute asthma exacerbation requiring prednisone therapy.…”

Exhaled nitric oxide is associated with severity of pediatric acute asthma exacerbations

“…1, 2 We performed a secondary analysis of data from a prospective cohort ages 5 – 17 years of age. Participants had doctor-diagnosed asthma and presented to our tertiary pediatric emergency department with acute exacerbations defined using NAEPP guidelines that required inhaled bronchodilator and systemic corticosteroid treatment.…”