33 Exhaled Nitric Oxide and Airway Function in Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis

BACKGROUND: Seasonal allergic rhinitis could predispose to the development of chronic bronchial inflammation. However, association between seasonal allergic rhinitis and airway function, especially exhaled nitric oxide [FENO], are not fully understood. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship among FENO and airway function and nasal symptoms in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis without asthma. METHODS: We included 37 subjects [9 males and 28 females] in this study. Total serum IgE were investigated and specific IgE for 4 pollen allergens and 5 perennial antigens were determined by RAST. Sensitization to a specific allergen was defined as over RAST score 2. We compared 4 groups. Group A: 7 nonatopic subjects [no nasal symptoms and RIST, RAST negative, 1 males and 6 females, mean age: 33.2 24–52 years]. Group B: 10 atopic subjects with a sensitization to Japanese ceder without medication [6 males and 4 females, mean age: 44 20–58 years]. Group C: 10 atopic subjects with a sensitization to Japanese ceder who took oral anti-histamine medicine during pollen season [2 males and 8 females, mean age: 34.9 24–52 years]. Group D: 10 atopic subjects with a sensitization to Japanese ceder who receive intranasal corticosteroid treatment during pollen season [2 males and 8 females, mean age: 40.2 26–56 years]. Score of nasal symptoms, FENO, spirometry, total eosinophils, nasal eosinophils, were investigated before, during, and after pollen season. RESULTS: Regardless of having treatment or not, in comparison with the subjects without the allergy, FENO showed a statistically significant increase in all patients with a sensitization to Japanese after pollen season. In group D, v 50/v 25 was the tendency to adversely affect after the pollen season, and correlation between FeNO rate of the change and v 50/v25 rate of the change admitted. As for the other indexes, a statistically change were not showed in the comparison of each group. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that FENO is a primarily marker of bronchial inflammation in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis during pollen season and intranasal corticosteroid treatment may be effective for improvements in lower airway outcome.