Written By: Shraddha Rupavate | Published : May 6, 2014 7:02 PM IST
May 6 is the World Asthma Day
Asthma is a condition in which inflammation of the airways causes breathing difficulties. Today all of us are susceptible to asthma due to increasing pollution and allergies. But there's a method called FeNO (fractional exhaled nitric oxide) test that can help us identify our susceptibility to the condition.
Earlier the American Thoracic Society (ATS) and now the NHS both recommend the use of FeNO tests for long-term management of asthma. According to the clinical guidelines of ATS, FeNO test is important to understand the underlying cause of asthma-like symptoms when the patient is not actually diagnosed of asthma using traditional methods.
The FeNO test is based on previous studies which suggested that nitric oxide released by epithelial cells of the bronchial walls can be used as a marker for diagnosis of asthma. Nitric oxide (NO) is produced by cells that participate in evoking an inflammatory response against allergies. So a person with allergic asthma will exhale high levels of nitric oxide than others. This exhaled amount of FeNO is measured using a breath test. It helps the doctors identify whether you're likely to suffer from asthma or have an asthma attack.
A study was conducted to assess the use of FeNO test in predicting the response of asthma patients to the given treatment. It was found that FeNO can also be a predictor of asthma relapse in patients taking inhaled corticosterioids. The study also concluded that FeNO test can help in effective management and control of asthma because the doctors can fairly decide when the patient can withdraw medication based on the FeNO levels.
The breath test for detecting FeNo levels is available in many well-equipped health facilities of developed countries.
References:
Asthma: An Inflammatory Process (www.niox.com/)
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