Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide (FENO)

A measurement to assess and monitor your asthma

We now have a new way to measure the inflammation in your lungs, and to help manage your asthma more effectively. This measurement is called fractional exhaled nitric oxide, also known as FENO. It can be measured by a simple machine in our office that measures the FENO in your breath as you exhale into a machine. It is simple, noninvasive, and only takes a few seconds. It is useful in both adults as well as children. It can help better manage your asthma in a number of ways:

• Understanding whether your asthma might respond to a medicine called an inhaled steroid, or not
• Assessing whether you are compliant with your steroidal asthma medicine
• Determining the right dose of inhaled steroid, and whether the dose can be lowered safely without relapse
• Deciding whether other medications, including biological medications, might be needed
• Possible preventing future asthma attacks

If your FENO it is elevated, it may mean that you are not compliant, or that your asthma might not be well-controlled, or there may be an increased risk of future asthma attacks. If your FENO is normal, it may mean that your asthma is controlled and your inhaled steroid can be tapered and/or you may need other medications, and/or have other conditions.