Measuring exhaled nitric oxide when diagnosing and managing asthma

Abstract

Measuring the concentration of nitric oxide in the exhaled breath may have several roles in patients with suspected or confi rmed asthma: as an adjunctive test for the disease, as a test to determine whether patients with asthma are likely to respond to inhaled corticosteroids, as a way to monitor and adjust this therapy, and as a way to estimate the likelihood of exacerbations. However, it is not very sensitive or specifi c and should not be used by itself, but rather in conjunction with clinical signs and symptoms. The authors address the role of measuring exhaled nitric oxide in the diagnosis and management of asthma and provide guidance for its appropriate use.