A clinical investigation into the usefulness of fractional exhaled nitric oxide in guiding glucocorticoid therapy in children with bronchial asthma.

Abstract

The present study aims to investigate the value of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) combined with pulmonary function in guiding the dose adjustment of inhaled glucocorticosteroids (ICSs) in children with asthma. A total of 133 children aged 6-12 years with newly diagnosed asthma were enrolled as the study subjects and randomly divided into the experimental group (n=68) and the control group (n=65). After three months of ICS treatment, in the experimental group, the dose of ICSs was adjusted based on the control status of the children and the results of the pulmonary function tests and FeNO assays, and in the control group, the dose was adjusted based on the control status of the children and the results of the pulmonary function tests. After another three months of treatment, the number of acute asthma attacks and the Childhood Asthma Control Test (C-ACT) scores were compared between the two groups, and the outcome of pulmonary function tests and FeNO assays during treatment were analyzed. When examining pulmonary function and FeNO levels, when compared with before treatment, there were no statistically significant differences in either group or between the groups after three months of ICS treatment (P>0.05). After dose adjustment and another three months of treatment, when compared with the control group, the improvement in pulmonary function in the experimental group was greater, the reduction in FeNO levels was greater, the incidence of acute asthma attacks was lower, and the C-ACT score was higher (P<0.05). We concluded that the combination of FeNO assays and pulmonary function tests to guide the ICS dose adjustment in children with asthma could improve asthma control and reduce the risk of acute asthma attacks.