Breath of Fresh Air

Pulmonologists Measure Chemical Signature of Asthma Inflammation

August 1, 2003

A newly FDA-approved breath test measures the amount of nitric oxide exhaled from an asthma patient. Everyone exhales some nitric oxide, but if an asthma patient's airway is inflamed, he or she will exhale more nitric oxide than normal. This test could help parents monitor their children's asthma and detect asthma attacks before symptoms occur.


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Martha J. Heil
mheil@aip.org
American Institute of Physics
Tel: 301-209-3088