Is health-related quality of life associated with upper and lower airway inflammation in asthmatics?

Background: Allergic diseases impair health-related quality of life (HR-QoL). However, the relationship between airway inflammation and HR-QoL in patients with asthma and rhinitis has not been fully investigated. We explored whether the inflammation of upper and lower airways is associated with HR-QoL.

Alveolar nitric oxide and asthma control in mild untreated asthma.

Background: The role of the peripheral airways in asthma is increasingly being recognized as a potential target for the achievement of optimal control of the disease. We postulated that the inflammatory changes of the small airways are implicated in the lack of asthma control in mild asthma.

Objective: To test this hypothesis, we measured the alveolar fraction of exhaled NO (CalvNO) in patients with mild asthma with different levels of control of symptoms.