Journal of the Formosan Medical Association
Volume 108, Issue 10 , Pages 772-777, October 2009

Exhaled Nitric Oxide in a Taiwanese Population: Age and Lung Function as Predicting Factors

  • Hsu-Chung Liu

      Affiliations

    • Division of Chest Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
    • Division of Chest Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Chung-Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Jeng-Yuan Hsu

      Affiliations

    • Division of Chest Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
    • Institute of Medicine, Chung-Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorrespondence to: Dr Jeng-Yuan Hsu, Division of Chest Medicine, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, No. 160, Section 3, Chung-Kang Road, Taichung, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Ya-Wen Cheng

      Affiliations

    • Institute of Medicine, Chung-Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Ming-Chih Chou

      Affiliations

    • Institute of Medicine, Chung-Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan

Received 26 July 2008; received in revised form 20 February 2009; accepted 20 April 2009.

Article Outline

Background/Purpose

The fractional concentration of exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) has been reported to be elevated in asthma and many other lung diseases. The present study investigated reference values and determinants of FENO in a Taiwanese non-smoking, healthy adult population.

Methods

We used a chemiluminescence analyzer according to American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society recommendations to measure FENO values in 356 adults who received a health check-up and a detailed respiratory questionnaire at Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan. Among the volunteers, 249 fulfilled our definition of healthy adults: no history of smoking or physician-diagnosed asthma; no recent upper airway infection; no chronic respiratory symptoms; and no allergic rhinitis and urticaria.

Results

Among the 249 non-smoking and non-asthmatic adults, the mean (5th to 95th percentile reference range) FENO was 27.9 (12.5–58.0) parts per billion. In multivariate regression analyses, age and lung function (forced vital capacity or forced expiratory volume in 1 second) were associated positively with FENO values. Sex, height, weight, and ambient NO values were not associated significantly with FENO values.

Conclusion

Age and lung function were predictors of FENO in this population, and these factors should be considered for clinical applications of FENO measurements.

Key Words:  age , nitric oxide , pulmonary function tests , reference values

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PII: S0929-6646(09)60404-6

doi:10.1016/S0929-6646(09)60404-6

Journal of the Formosan Medical Association
Volume 108, Issue 10 , Pages 772-777, October 2009

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