Aerocrine Announces Presentation of Data on FeNO Testing in Overlap Syndrome

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Aerocrine, Inc. announced the following scientific abstract, Characterization of Allergic Airway Inflammation in Patients with COPD using Fractional exhaled Nitric Oxide Level (FeNO)s, presented at the 2013 American Thoracic Society International Conference. The abstract was presented by Dr. James F. Donohue, principle investigator for the study at (American Thoracic Society meeting in Philadelphia) on (Sunday May 19, 2013).
Asthma can coexist with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), particularly in older adults, a condition labeled overlap syndrome. While airway inflammation in COPD is largely neutrophilic, some patients with COPD may have features of asthma and thus may also have a component of allergic airway inflammation
The single-visit, outpatient study was conducted in 97 subjects age 40 and older with COPD or overlap syndrome. All subjects performed spirometry and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) measurements were taken with Aerocrine’s NIOXMINO® device. COPD severity was classified according to guidelines from the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD).
Conclusions of the study were as follows:
• Increases in FeNO do occur in patients with COPD. In addition, approximately 11% of patients demonstrated increases in FeNO to intermediate or high levels.
• FeNO is useful for identifying patients with allergic airway inflammation who will have a beneficial response to treatment with an inhaled corticosteroid. The resulting data may have important implications for the management of COPD patients who may have Overlap Syndrome.
“Fractional exhaled nitric oxide is proving to be a valuable biomarker,” says Scott Myers, president and CEO of Aerocrine AB. “Pulmonologists are learning how they can help direct treatment for asthma patients, but with this additional clinical research we are demonstrating that because of overlap disease it can also help for care of their patients with COPD who may have an asthma component (Overlap Syndrome).