Exhaled carbon monoxide levels in infants and toddlers with episodic asthma.

Objective: There are few lung function tests available to evaluate bronchial asthma in infants and toddlers. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that the measurement of exhaled carbon monoxide (eCO) levels is applicable to evaluate infants and toddlers with stable asthma and during acute asthma attack.

Methods: A one-way valve breath sampling bag was developed to collect the exhaled air of infants and toddlers.

Exhaled carbon monoxide levels in preschool-age children with episodic asthma.

Background: The concentration of exhaled carbon monoxide (eCO) in young children with stable asthma and during acute asthma attack is not known.

Methods: A sampling bag was developed to collect the exhaled air of preschool children. A total of 257 preschool-age children (≥ 3 years and ≤ 6 years old) were studied; 111 had a diagnosis of asthma (43 suffering a mild asthma attack and 68 without active asthmatic symptom), 99 had upper respiratory infection (URI) and 47 were healthy.

Exhaled carbon monoxide levels in school-age children with episodic asthma.

Carbon monoxide (CO) can be detected in exhaled air and is increased in adult and childhood persistent asthmatic patients. However, little is known about the exhaled CO concentration in episodic childhood asthma. This study aimed to clarify whether measurement of exhaled CO is useful in monitoring disease activity in children with episodic asthma.