2023 Volume 69 Issue 3 Pages 169-175
Nitric oxide (NO) plays many roles in the human body, and the transoral exhaled NO concentration is considered a biomarker of lower airway inflammation. Although a high dose of NO is released from the nasal/paranasal sinuses, the number of reports focusing on this finding are limited. This study aimed to measure the transnasal exhaled NO concentration and investigate whether transnasal and transoral exhaled NO concentrations differ depending on the presence of nasal disease or its type. We succeeded in measuring the transnasal NO concentration, even in cases of severe nasal obstruction, by combining an NO concentration measuring device with part of a nebulizer device. The transoral NO concentration was higher in the following order: the sinusitis group, the allergic rhinitis group, and the control group. In contrast, the transnasal NO concentration was higher in the following order: the allergic rhinitis group, the sinusitis group, and the control group. The transnasal NO concentration is a useful biomarker for nasal diseases.
