PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - James Donohue AU - Samantha Earnhart AU - Nancy Herje AU - Paul Dorinsky TI - Characterization of allergic airway inflammation in patients with COPD using fractional exhaled nitric oxide levels DP - 2013 Sep 01 TA - European Respiratory Journal PG - P3546 VI - 42 IP - Suppl 57 4099 - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/42/Suppl_57/P3546.short 4100 - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/42/Suppl_57/P3546.full SO - Eur Respir J2013 Sep 01; 42 AB - Rationale: Asthma can coexist with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), particularly in older adults, a condition labeled the overlap syndrome (OS). Additionally, while airway inflammation in COPD is generally neutrophilic, COPD patients may have features of asthma and thus a component of allergic airway inflammation. This study characterized allergic airway inflammation in patients with COPD using fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO).Methods: A single-visit, outpatient study in 191 subjects age 40 years and older with COPD or the overlap syndrome. All subjects performed spirometry and FeNO testing. Subjects were classified as have COPD/asthma, COPD or COPD/emphysema using ICD codes.Results: The subjects had a mean age of 63.9 ± 11.3 years, a mean smoking history of 46 ± 29 pack years and a mean FEV1 % predicted of 53.9 ± 22.1%. A total of 32% of subjects were classified as mixed COPD/asthma, 42% as COPD and 26% as COPD/emphysema. The mean FeNO level for all subjects was 15.3 ± 17.2 ppb. FeNO level versus diagnosis are shown below.View this table:Table 1Conclusions: These data indicate that increases in FeNO do occur in patients with COPD and increases in FeNO to intermediate or high levels occurred in 21 of 191 subjects (11%) in this study. Increases in FeNO were most common in subjects with mixed COPD/asthma. Since FeNO is useful for identifying patients with allergic airway inflammation who will have a beneficial response to treatment with an ICS, these data may have important implications for the management of COPD patients.