Yes to NO: The first studies on exhaled nitric oxide-driven asthma treatment

In summary, the new studies are ground breaking as they are highly suggestive of long-term benefit of FeNO inflammometry in asthma management. The bottom line is that FeNO inflammometry is an easy test which is helpful to target steroid treatment, to reduce steroids where possible, and to provide significant benefits in terms of less hyperresponsiveness and less inflammation without leading to overall need for more steroids at the group level. On the basis of these findings, FeNO offers more for day-to-day asthma management than any of the conventional lung function tests. Now FeNO analysers have become available for office and ambulatory measurements and become more affordable, there is little standing in the way of a widespread use in clinical practice. Not only the applications in asthma management warrant the introduction of FeNO inflammometry into clinical practice, but also a number of other indications, including diagnosis of asthma, prediction of loss of asthma control and screening for primary ciliary dyskinesia. Now the benefits are becoming clear, the momentum is there to start the procedures that will lead to appropriate incorporation of fractional exhaled nitric oxide measurements into national reimbursement codes, paving the way for inflammometry-driven asthma management. Copyright

• View at Publisher
• View at Pubmed
• View at Scopus
• View at Web of Science