Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide in Teenagers and Adults with Atopic Dermatitis

Adv Respir Med. 2022 Jul 20;90(4):237-245. doi: 10.3390/arm90040033.

Abstract

Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) is a non-invasive biomarker of eosinophilic airway inflammation and therapeutic response to corticosteroid treatment of respiratory diseases. Atopic dermatitis (AD), one of the most common allergic conditions of the skin, is a factor influencing the increase of FeNO. The main aim of this study was to determine differences between levels of FeNO in patients with AD and healthy controls as measured by an electrochemical analyzer. In total, 54 teenagers and adults with AD were recruited and compared with 34 healthy volunteers. The measurements of FeNO were taken using the Hyp’Air FeNO in participants. FeNO was statistically significantly higher in patients with AD than in healthy controls (60.5 ± 35.1 vs. 14.8 ± 5.1 ppb, p < 0.001). We found a strong positive significant correlation between FeNO and the number of positive skin prick tests among AD patients (R = 0.754, p < 0.001). There was no correlation between FeNO and duration of disease as well as SCORAD index among patients. Moreover, we also found no FeNO difference between the mild and moderate forms of AD. The presence of AD and the increasing number of positive skin prick tests increase FeNO, so the results of this measurement should be interpreted with caution in patients with respiratory diseases suffering from AD.

Keywords: SCORAD; atopic dermatitis; exhaled nitric oxide; skin prick tests.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adrenal Cortex Hormones
  • Adult
  • Breath Tests* / methods
  • Dermatitis, Atopic* / drug therapy
  • Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide Testing
  • Humans
  • Nitric Oxide

Substances

  • Adrenal Cortex Hormones
  • Nitric Oxide

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.