The Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide and Serum High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein Levels in Cough Variant Asthma and Typical Bronchial Asthma

Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) is known to be a good marker of airway eosinophilic inflammation in bronchial asthma. Recently, serum high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) has been shown to be also useful to detect the airway inflammation. Newly diagnosed 90 cough variant asthma and 92 bronchial asthma patients were enrolled. FeNO, serum hs-CRP, pulmonary function tests, bronchial hyperresponsiveness, IgE and sputum eosinophils ratio were compared. Ninety healthy control subjects were set for FeNO and serum hs-CRP normal range reference. We have compared the clinical utilities of FeNO and serum hs-CRP to differentiate bronchial asthma and cough variant asthma. FeNO was significantly higher in bronchial asthma (92.6±85.5ppb) than in cough variant asthma (35.6±43.3; p