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Exhaled carbon monoxide in asthmatics: a meta-analysis
Jingying Zhang1, Xin Yao, Rongbin Yu
1Department of Respiratory Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Respiratory Research
|May 4, 2010
Summary
Exhaled carbon monoxide (eCO) is higher in asthma patients, reflecting inflammation and oxidative stress. While it can indicate disease severity and improve with steroid treatment, it doesn't fully distinguish asthma control levels.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonary Medicine
- Biomarker Research
- Respiratory Health
Background:
- Non-invasive assessment of airway inflammation is crucial for asthma management.
- Exhaled carbon monoxide (eCO) is a potential, inexpensive biomarker for airway inflammation and oxidative stress.
- Existing data on eCO's utility in asthma are conflicting.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if eCO levels are elevated in asthma patients.
- To investigate if steroid treatment regulates eCO levels.
- To assess if eCO reflects asthma severity and control.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search (1997-2009) of Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases.
- Inclusion of observational studies comparing eCO in non-smoking asthmatics and healthy individuals, or asthmatics before/after steroid treatment.
- Meta-analysis using fixed or random effects models to calculate weighted mean differences.
Main Results:
- Meta-analysis of 18 studies showed significantly higher eCO in asthmatics versus healthy subjects.
- Elevated eCO was observed in intermittent asthma compared to persistent asthma.
- eCO levels decreased significantly after corticosteroid treatment but could not differentiate between steroid-treated and steroid-free, or controlled and uncontrolled asthma in cross-sectional analyses.
Conclusions:
- eCO is elevated in asthma patients, offering partial insights into disease severity and control.
- eCO shows potential as a non-invasive biomarker for airway inflammation and oxidative stress in non-smoking asthmatics.
- Further research may clarify eCO's role in monitoring asthma management.
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