Children with severe asthma experience persistent symptoms despite maximal conventional treatment. Fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (Fe(NO)) and sputum eosinophils are used as markers of airway inflammation to guide treatment with steroids, but no data are available on how reliable they are in predicting airway eosinophilia assessed bronchoscopically in these children.
Department of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine, Imperial College of Science, Technology, and Medicine at the Royal Brompton Hospital and National Heart and Lung Institute, Sydney Street, London SW3 6NP, UK.