Fraction of exhaled nitric oxide is associated with disease burden in the German Asthma Net severe asthma cohort. Issue 6 (2nd June 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bal, Christina; Idzko, Marco; Škrgat, Sabina; Koch, Andrea; Milger, Katrin; Schulz, Christian; Zehetmayer, Sonja; Hamelmann, Eckard; Buhl, Roland; Korn, Stephanie
• Is Part Of: European respiratory journal. Volume 59:Issue 6(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-06-02
• Subjects: Respiratory organs -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Respiration -- Periodicals; 616.2
• DOI: 10.1183/13993003.01233-2021
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0903-1936

Abstract

The fraction of exhaled nitric oxide ( F ENO ) is a biomarker for type 2 asthma, reflecting the degree of local pulmonary inflammation linked to immune pathways, including interleukin (IL)-13 [1]. In clinical practice, F ENO is a reliable marker for inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) responsiveness [2] and the efficacy of biological therapies, such as those targeting IL-4/IL-13 pathways [3, 4], as well as the detection of steroid nonadherence or resistance in severe asthma [2]. The prospective Severe Asthma Registry of the German Asthma Net (GAN) enrols patients with severe asthma for in-depth assessment of phenotypes, underlying mechanisms and therapeutic strategies; GAN has been approved by respective ethics committees, with all included patients having signed informed consent [5]. Prior studies of F ENO either included patients with asthma of any severity [6] or did not involve a comprehensive analysis in a large cohort [7]. We therefore used cross-sectional data from GAN to determine the correlation of F ENO with epidemiological, laboratory, clinical, lung function, or quality of life parameters and the need for oral corticosteroid (OCS) maintenance therapy in a carefully selected severe asthma cohort to better characterise the severe asthma subtype with high F ENO values. In a severe asthma cohort of 1007 patients, high F ENO was associated with chronic rhinosinusitis/polyps, later asthma onset, poor lung function and asthma control, low quality of life, frequent exacerbations and the need for maintenance OCS. #GANregistry https://bit.ly/3sNrtIQ