Does Measuring Exhaled Nitric Oxide Improve Asthma Care in Adolescents?

Monitoring exhaled nitric oxide did not improve symptoms or lung function in this randomized controlled study.

Measurement of exhaled nitric oxide has been proposed as a way to improve care in patients with asthma, but its role remains controversial. In a double-blind randomized multisite clinical trial, 546 adolescents and young adults (mean age, 14) with persistent or uncontrolled asthma were assigned to receive computer–protocol-driven care, with or without measurement of exhaled nitric oxide. During the 46-week study, patients returned for visits every 6 to 8 weeks, and their medicines were adjusted as required.

Mean numbers of days with asthma symptoms during the 2 weeks before each visit was similar in the nitric-oxide and control groups (1.93 vs. 1.89). No differences between groups were noted in secondary outcomes, including measures of pulmo…

Reviewing Author

Howard Bauchner, MD

Disclosures

Grant / research supportHuman Resources and Services Administration; NIH; NIH-NHLBI; USDA; GlaxoSmithKline

Editorial boardsArchives of Disease in Childhood (Editor-in-Chief)

Howard Bauchner, MD

Disclosures

Grant / research supportHuman Resources and Services Administration; NIH; NIH-NHLBI; USDA; GlaxoSmithKline

Editorial boardsArchives of Disease in Childhood (Editor-in-Chief)

Does Measuring Exhaled Nitric Oxide Improve Asthma Care in Adolescents?

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Reviewing Author