Ratjen F, Kavuk I, Gärtig S, Wiesemann H G, Grasemann H
Children's Hospital, University of Essen, Germany.
Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2000 Nov;11(4):230-5. doi: 10.1034/j.1399-3038.2000.00093.x.
Concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) in exhaled air are increased in children and adults with asthma, and NO measurements are used as a non-invasive marker to monitor airway inflammation in these patients. To define the role of NO in infants with acute wheezy bronchitis, we measured nasal and end-tidal NO concentrations in 17 infants with acute virus-associated wheezy bronchitis, in 22 term infants without respiratory disease, and in nine premature infants. Nasal NO measurements were performed with an olive placed in the infant's nose; end-tidal NO concentrations were assessed during tidal breathing through a snuggly fitting face mask. Both end-tidal NO concentrations and nasal NO concentrations were reduced in infants with acute wheezy bronchitis. There were no differences in NO concentrations between term infants and premature infants. Measurements by both techniques were highly reproducible, as assessed by repeated measurements three times daily on three consecutive days in eight premature infants. Reduced airway NO concentrations in infants with virus-associated acute wheezy bronchitis are in contrast to findings in adults where both upper and lower airway NO levels are increased in patients with asthma. Whether this reflects a different inflammatory reaction to upper airway infections in acutely wheezy infants or pathophysiologic differences in airway response remains to be determined.
哮喘患儿和成年患者呼出气体中的一氧化氮（NO）浓度会升高，NO测量被用作监测这些患者气道炎症的一种非侵入性标志物。为了明确NO在急性喘息性支气管炎婴儿中的作用，我们测量了17例患有急性病毒相关性喘息性支气管炎的婴儿、22例无呼吸系统疾病的足月儿以及9例早产儿的鼻腔和潮气末NO浓度。使用一个橄榄头放置于婴儿鼻腔来测量鼻腔NO；通过一个贴合脸部的面罩在潮气呼吸期间评估潮气末NO浓度。急性喘息性支气管炎婴儿的潮气末NO浓度和鼻腔NO浓度均降低。足月儿和早产儿的NO浓度没有差异。通过对8例早产儿连续三天每天三次重复测量评估，两种测量技术的测量结果都具有高度可重复性。病毒相关性急性喘息性支气管炎婴儿气道NO浓度降低，这与哮喘患者上、下气道NO水平均升高的成年患者的研究结果相反。这是反映了急性喘息婴儿对上呼吸道感染的不同炎症反应还是气道反应的病理生理差异，仍有待确定。
