Role of Exhaled Nitric Oxide in Management of Asthma in Pediatric Patients: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) has emerged as a potential tool for managing asthma in children, but its precise role remains under investigation. Objectives: This systematic review aims to comprehensively evaluate the current research on FeNO's utility in managing pediatric asthma. Methods: We conducted a systematic search of electronic databases like PubMed, MEDLINE, Science Direct, and Scopus. Two independent reviewers screened and extracted data from eligible studies. Results: Sixteen studies including 4612 participants in total and more than half of them 2558 (55.5%) were males—were included in our data. Intermediate FeNO levels had a higher yearly hospitalization rate than those with low or high FeNO levels. FeNO can be a predictive marker as one study found that FeNO levels of more than 35 ppb have the highest risk of developing respiratory disease in the future. Regarding the benefits of FeNO-guided therapy, the use of FENO in conjunction with GINA guidelines for ICS titration can help reduce daily ICS doses and treatment costs. FeNO was found reliable as an asthma biomarker only in children with concomitant aeroallergen sensitivity. Conclusion: The evidence for the effectiveness of FeNO-guided asthma care in children is critical. The effect of FeNO-guided treatment on pharmaceutical use is unclear. Any benefits in illness control must be balanced against the risk of increased drug use, particularly ICS, as higher rates were frequently observed in children with FeNO-guided monitoring. There is an obvious need for larger, longer-term research to address these problems before making firm recommendations for routine therapeutic use.