title: Effect of exposure to an Asian dust storm on fractional exhaled nitric oxide in adult asthma patients in Western Japan.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Epidemiological investigations indicate that an Asian dust storm (ADS) can aggravate respiratory disorders. However, the effects of ADS on airway inflammation remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of exposure to ADS with airway inflammation.
  
  
  METHODS
  The subjects were 33 adult patients with asthma who measured daily peak flow expiratory (PEF) from March to May 2012. Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) was measured before and after ADS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The FeNO values were 13.8±13.7 ppb before the ADS and 20.3±19.0 ppb after the ADS, with no significant difference. There was also no significant association of PEF with ADS exposure. However, the increase of FeNO after ADS exposure was proportional to the decrease of PEF (R=-0.78, P<0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that airway inflammation aggravated by ADS exposure may induce a decrease in pulmonary function in some adult patients with asthma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine and Rheumatology, Tottori University Faculty of Medicine.
authors.forename: Masanari
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kurai
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sano
authors.forename: Eiji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Shimizu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001944:Breath Tests; D004391:Dust; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008168:Lung / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D004391:Dust; D009569:Nitric Oxide