Exhaled NO from Isocyanate Induced Asthmatic Attacks

BrooklynDodger(s) comment: It would be nice to know the isocyanate concentration and duration of the challenge. Have to look for the full text.

CHEST July 2009 vol. 136 no. 1 155-162

Exhaled Nitric Oxide and Breath Condensate pH in Asthmatic Reactions Induced by Isocyanates

1. Silvia Ferrazzoni, PhD,Maria Cristina Scarpa, BS,Gabriella Guarnieri, MD,Massimo Corradi, MD,Antonio Mutti, MD andPiero Maestrelli, MD

+Author Affiliations

1. From the Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health (Drs. Ferrazzoni, Guarnieri, Maestrelli, and Ms. Scarpa), University of Padova, Padova, Italy; and the Department of Clinical Medicine, Nephrology, and Health Sciences (Drs. Corradi and Mutti), University of Parma, Parma, Italy.

1. Correspondence to: Piero Maestrelli, MD, Dipartimento di Medicina Ambientale e Sanità Pubblica, Università degli Studi di Padova, via Giustiniani 2, 35128 Padova, Italy; e-mail: piero.maestrelli@unipd.it

Abstract

Background: We investigated the usefulness of measurements of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) and pH of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) for monitoring airway response after specific inhalation challenges with isocyanates in sensitized subjects.

Methods: Lung function (FEV₁), FeNO, and pH in argon-deaerated EBC were measured before and at intervals up to 30 days after a specific inhalation challenge in 15 subjects with isocyanate asthma, in 24 not sensitized control subjects exposed to isocyanates, and in 3 nonasthmatic subjects with rhinitis induced by isocyanate. Induced sputum was collected before and 24 h after isocyanate exposure.

Results: Isocyanate-induced asthmatic reactions were associated with a rise in sputum eosinophil levels at 24 h (p <>

Conclusions: We demonstrated that isocyanate-induced asthmatic reactions are associated with a consistent delayed increase in FeNO but not with the acidification of EBC.