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Exhaled NO among inner-city children in New York City

Matthew S Perzanowski1, Adnan Divjan, Robert B Mellins

  • 1Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA. mp2217@columbia.edu

The Journal of Asthma : Official Journal of the Association for the Care of Asthma
|October 13, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) indicates airway inflammation in children with asthma symptoms. Early environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure correlates with higher FeNO, while later exposure shows an inverse relationship, suggesting complex interactions.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Pulmonology
  • Environmental Health
  • Biomarker Research

Background:

  • Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) is a proposed biomarker for airway inflammation in asthma research.
  • Inner-city children face unique environmental exposures impacting respiratory health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the link between FeNO and asthma symptoms in 7-year-old inner-city children.
  • To investigate the association of past and current environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure with FeNO levels.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal asthma study involving FeNO and lung function tests at age 7.
  • Assessment of seroatopy via allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels.
  • Questionnaire-based evaluation of ETS exposure at ages 4 and 7.

Main Results:

  • Children reporting wheeze had significantly higher FeNO levels (17.0 vs. 11.0 ppb).
  • FeNO remained associated with wheeze after adjusting for seroatopy and FEV1.
  • FeNO at age 7 positively correlated with ETS exposure at age 4 but inversely with ETS at age 7.

Conclusions:

  • FeNO is a relevant outcome measure for asthma studies in inner-city populations, showing association with current wheeze.
  • The positive association between early ETS exposure and airway inflammation warrants further investigation in larger cohorts.
Abstract

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