[Concentration of nitric oxide in exhaled air in patients with sarcoidosis--pilot study]

Exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) concentration measurement may allow for noninvasive estimation of severity of airways inflammation in asthma and other airways diseases. The purpose of this study was to evaluate usefulness of eNO concentration measurements in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis. Study group consisted of 22 patients with sarcoidosis (8 women, 14 men aged 26-46). They included 11 patients with radiographically stage I and II and 11 patients with stage III of disease. Sixteen patients had active pulmonary sarcoidosis and 6 had nonactive disease. Ten patients had indications for treatment, 12 patients had not any. Exhaled NO was measured by means of SIEVERS 280 Nitric Oxide Analyser (USA). There was no significant difference in mean eNO concentration in study group (6.91 +/- 0.60 ppb) and in normal control (5.2 +/- 0.73 ppb, p = 0.10). Exhaled NO concentration was similar in patients with sarcoidosis stage I and II (7.5 +/- 1.08 ppb) and in patients with stage III disease (6.2 +/- 0.51 ppb, p = 0.27). We failed to found significant difference in eNO concentration between patients with active (6.7 +/- 0.71 ppb) and nonactive sarcoidosis (7.5 +/- 1.1 ppb; p = 0.57). Neither did eNO concentration differ between patients with and without indications for therapy (5.77 +/- 0.50 ppb vs. 7.8 +/- 0.95 ppb; p = 0.08). In conclusion our pilot study results indicate that measurement of eNO concentrations may be of little value in patients with sarcoidosis.