Expired air nitric oxide in patients with bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with different disease course

Expired air nitric oxide was measured in 113 subjects (26 healthy controls, 64 bronchial asthma (BA) patients and 23 COPD patients. In BA patients 10 had mild course of the disease. In 50 the course was estimated as moderate, 4 patients had severe course of the disease. In 20 patients BA was associated with COPD. The results revealed the dependence of FeNO on following factors: severity of the disease: in severe and moderate BA course FeNO was significantly higher than in mild BA; on phase of the disease: in exacerbation FeNO was significantly higher than in remission; on control of the disease: in patients, in whom it was difficult to reach the disease control, FeNO was higher than in others. In COPD patients FeNO was significantly lower than in BA ones. Even in subjects with marked airways inflammation manifested by high sputum cellularity FeNO was low.