Background The objective of the study was to assess bronchial inflammation in preschool children with recurrent bronchitis by measuring exhaled nitric oxide. Patients and Methods The study included patients under 4 years of age with at least 3 episodes of wheezing in the past year (n=63) and a control group (n=30). Exhaled nitric oxide was measured in samples collected offline during spontaneous tidal breathing with a face mask and stored in Mylar balloons. Results The fractional exhaled nitric oxide concentration (FE NO) was higher in the group with bronchitis (mean [SD], 5.3 [1.3] parts per billion [ppb]) than in the control group (4.6 [1.1] ppb) ( P=.02). There was a significant difference between the control group and children in the bronchitis group not treated with inhaled corticosteroids ( P<.05), but not between controls and corticosteroid-treated patients. A relationship with eosinophil count was observed in that those with higher counts (>400 mL) had higher FE NO levels ( P<.01). No relationship was observed between FE NO and a positive methacholine challenge test. Follow-up lasted at least 20 months. The initial FE NO level did not differ significantly according to whether patients were subsequently transient, infrequent, or frequent wheezers (5.2 [0.98] ppb, 5.6 [1.5] ppb, and 4.8 [1.34] ppb, respectively; P=.36). Conclusions In children under 4 years of age with recurrent wheezing bronchitis who were asymptomatic at study entry, a small increase in FE NO was observed although there was a good deal of overlap with the control group.