| In an article published in the September 20th edition of the journal Lancet, researchers examined the role of exhaled nitric oxide (NO) in clinical asthma management. They aimed to assess whether measurement of exhaled NO, as a biomarker of airway inflammation, could increase the effectiveness of asthma treatment, when used as an adjunct to clinical care based on asthma guidelines. Researchers screened 780 inner-city patients, aged 12 to 20 years, who had persistent asthma and 546 eligible participants were randomly assigned to 46 weeks of standard treatment, based on the guidelines of the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP), or standard treatment modified on the basis of measurements of fraction of exhaled NO. The primary outcome was the number of days with asthma symptoms. During the treatment period, the mean number of days with asthma symptoms, pulmonary function, and asthma exacerbations did not differ between the treatment groups. Results showed that conventional asthma management resulted in good control of symptoms in most participants. The addition of fraction of exhaled NO as an indicator resulted in higher does of inhaled corticosteroids, without clinically important improvement in control of asthma symptoms. To view the abstract of this study, visit http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673608614488/abstract. |
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