Establishing normative nasal nitric oxide values in infants

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Pulmonology
• Respiratory Medicine
• Diagnostic Biomarkers

Background:

• Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) diagnosis is challenging due to impaired respiratory cilia motility.
• Low nasal nitric oxide (nNO) is a potential biomarker for PCD, but age-stratified values are needed, especially for infants.
• Normative nNO values for infants under 1 year old were previously unavailable.

Purpose of the Study:

• Establish normative nNO values for infants less than 1 year old.
• Determine the utility of nNO measurements in guiding PCD assessment in this age group.

Main Methods:

• Collected nNO data from 42 healthy infants (<1 year old).
• Used regression analysis to estimate age-adjusted mean nNO values and a 95% prediction interval (PI).
• Assessed nNO levels in 15 infants diagnosed with PCD.

Main Results:

• Developed a regression model for age-adjusted nNO in infants.
• Established a 95% PI for normal nNO in infants.
• 14 out of 15 infant PCD patients exhibited nNO levels below the 95% PI.

Conclusions:

• Normative nNO values and a predictive model were established for infants.
• Low nNO levels effectively identified the majority of infant PCD cases.
• nNO measurement can aid PCD diagnosis in infants, potentially enabling earlier intervention and improved outcomes.