title: Plasma nitrate as an index of nitric oxide formation in patients with acute infectious diseases.
abstract: In humans, the role of nitric oxide (NO) in host defence is controversial. We prospectively studied plasma levels of nitrate, the stable end-product of NO formation, during acute infection in 43 patients controlled with regard to dietary nitrate/nitrite. During acute gastroenteritis the mean plasma nitrate level was significantly increased compared with at recovery 4-5 weeks later (118 vs. 32.5 micromol/l; p < 0.001), in contrast with the findings in patients with acute pneumonia (PN; 34.6 vs. 42.8 micromol/l) or febrile urinary tract infection (UTI; 27.7 vs. 31.3 micromol/l). In a second group of 20 retrospectively studied patients with severe PN or UTI, of whom 70% were bacteraemic, no significantly increased nitrate levels could be demonstrated during the acute stage of infection. These findings indicate that increased NO production, as measured by plasma nitrate, is not a general finding in patients with acute infectious diseases, but may rather be associated with certain pathogens or sites of infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ahrén
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jungersten
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sandberg
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009566:Nitrates / Q000097:blood*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000097:blood*; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D009566:Nitrates; D009569:Nitric Oxide