Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide Elevated in Pediatric Chest Tightness Variant Asthma

FRIDAY, Aug. 28, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Children with chest tightness variant asthma (CTVA) have higher fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) levels and lower parameters of small airway function, according to a study published online Aug. 10 in Frontiers in Pediatrics.

Ruo-Yu Cao, from Cangzhou Central Hospital in China, and colleagues examined the pulmonary function characteristics and risk factors for pediatric CTVA in a retrospective case-control study. Clinical data were analyzed from 39 children diagnosed with CTVA from February 2022 to February 2024; they were compared to 50 healthy children undergoing physical examinations during the same period. At initial diagnosis or physical examination, all participants underwent FeNO measurement and pulmonary ventilation function tests.

The researchers found that compared with the healthy control group, FeNO levels were significantly higher in the CTVA group. The CTVA group also had significantly lower forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC), peak expiratory flow, and maximal expiratory flow at 25, 50, and 75 percent of FVC; no significant differences were seen in FEV1, FVC, or maximal mid-expiratory flow. For obesity, inhalant allergen sensitization, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, history of recurrent respiratory infections, and family history of allergic diseases, significant intergroup differences were observed. These factors were confirmed as significantly associated with pediatric CTVA in a univariate logistic regression analysis.

“The combination of FeNO and small airway indicators may warrant further investigation in the diagnostic evaluation of CTVA, but formal diagnostic accuracy studies are needed,” the authors write.

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