TY - JOUR T1 - Exhaled airway and alveolar nitric acid in extrinsic allergic alveolitis JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J VL - 40 IS - Suppl 56 SP - P4029 AU - Paul Blanc AU - John Balmes AU - Patty Quinlan AU - Irina Tolstykh AU - Carlos Iribarren AU - Anna-Carin Olin AU - Kjell Torén AU - Patricia Katz Y1 - 2012/09/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/P4029.abstract N2 - Background: In extrinsic allergic alveolitis (EAA), alveolar nitric oxide (Alvno) and the airway fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FEno) have not been well studied.Methods: EAA cases were derived from a referral center and an integrated health care delivery organization (IHCDO); age- and gender-matched referents were recruited from the IHCDO. Subjects were invited to participate in home visits including spirometry (EasyOne; nnd Medical Technologies, Andover, MA, USA) and FEno electrochemical quantification (NO Vario; FILT, Berlin, Germany) at 3 flow rates (50, 100, and 300 mls/sec) yielding the measured airway FEno and the calculated Alvno. We tested differences by EAA status using the chi square, t-test, and (for FEno and Alvno) Wilcoxon rank sum.Results: We completed home visits for 118 EAA cases and 106 referents; 91 in each group (77% and 86%, respectively), yielded interpretable FEno and Alvno results. There were no statistical differences by case vs. referent status for age (60±13 v. 60±11 years), female sex (56% vs. 63%), or height (167±9 vs. 167±9 cm). EAA cases compared to referents had lower forced vital capacity (FVC) (3.1±1.0 L vs. 3.5±1.0 L; p<0.01) and reduced FVC % predicted (83±18 vs. 96±19%; p<0.001). Airway FEno was higher in cases than referents (22.5±14.1 ppb vs. 17.4±8.4 ppb; p=0.03), as was Alvno (4.1±4.9 vs. 2.7±4.9 ppb; p=0.003).Discussion: Both airway FEno and Alvno are increased in EAA, supporting exploration of their associations with disease activity and health status.Clinical: Assessing airway FEno and Alvno in EAA may provide insights into exposure status and disease management.Supported by NIH 1RC1ES018211. ER -