pubmed:abstractText |
Increased concentrations of exhaled nitric oxide (NO) have been detected in inflammatory lung diseases including asthma and have been attributed to increased expression and activity of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) within the airways. However, previous studies of exhaled NO in patients with bronchiectasis have yielded conflicting results, with reports of both increased and normal NO values. Recent evidence from animal models suggests that chronic airway infection reduces NO production within the lung, despite causing increased iNOS expression. We tested the hypothesis that, in human subjects with bronchiectasis, chronic airway infection reduces NO output from the conducting airways.
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