The value of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains unclear. We aimed to assess whether FeNO is a more valuable biomarker than blood eosinophil count for identifying clinical characteristics of COPD. Stable COPD patients (n = 390) were included and stratified by FeNO and blood eosinophil counts at recruitment. The demographic characteristics, lung functions, St George Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), serum inhaled allergen-specific IgE and the exacerbations in the preceding 12 months were compared. Risk factors for moderate or severe exacerbation in the preceding 12 months were examined by binary regression analysis. The cross-sectional study showed that 167 patients had high level of FeNO (≥25 ppb) and 223 in low level (<25 ppb), while 138 patients had high blood eosinophil count (≥200 cells/μL) and 252 had low (<200 cells/μL). Compared with the high FeNO group, there were higher proportion of patients with GOLD III-IV, higher SGRQ scores, more exacerbations in the preceding 12 months, and with lower positive proportion of sIgE in the low FeNO group (p < 0.05 for all). However, these phenomena above were not associated with blood eosinophil count. Finally, high FeNO level was associated with a lower moderate or severe exacerbation in preceding 12 months (RR: 0.541 [95%CI 0.319-0.917], p = 0.023). In stable COPD patients, FeNO, but not blood eosinophil count was associated with the COPD severity and allergic airway inflammation. However, the role of FeNO in guiding personalized treatment of COPD patients need to be further investigated.
Keywords: Blood eosinophils; COPD; exacerbation; fractional exhaled nitric oxide.