Dose Response of Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO) to Inhaled Steroids in Mild-to-moderate Asthma
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2011-12-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Asthma is a chronic disease, which means that it cannot be cured, but the investigators can
use inhalers and tablets to control the symptoms. In asthma, the airways become inflamed and
irritated which can cause coughing and make the airways tighten. This 'inflammation' is the
root of the problem in asthma. Doctors have different ways to measure the inflammation in the
airways. One way is to measure a gas called nitric oxide (NO) on the breath. This is made by
the lungs when asthmatic inflammation is present. The investigators have been using NO as a
test in research labs for many years, but there are still unanswered questions about how it
changes between morning and night and how quickly medicines work on it. In most asthmatics,
even small doses of inhaled steroids (preventers) can reduce the NO levels to normal, but in
some people this does not seem to happen. The investigators now have portable NO machines
that are designed for patients to use in the home. The investigators want to follow NO
readings in patients with high levels to measure how they respond to different doses of
steroid inhalers. The investigators hope this will help the investigators better understand
asthma inflammation and treatments.