The European respiratory journal : official journal of the European Society for Clinical Respiratory Physiology
-
Early detection of the cyanobacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the lungs of young children with cystic fibrosis (CF) is considered the key to delaying chronic pulmonary disease. We investigated whether cyanide in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid could be used as an early diagnostic biomarker of infection. Cyanide was measured in 226 BAL samples (36 P. aeruginosa infected) obtained from 96 infants and young children with CF participating in an early surveillance programme involving annual BAL. ⋯ Neutrophil number in BAL was a significant predictor of cyanide concentration (p<0.001). Cyanide concentration can distinguish between P. aeruginosa infected and uninfected BALs as a group, but not individually; therefore, cyanide is a poor diagnostic biomarker of P. aeruginosa infection. Cyanide levels in BAL are related to the level of neutrophilic inflammation.
-
Nasal nitric oxide (nNO) has a well-known potential as an indirect discriminative marker between patients with primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) and healthy subjects, but real-life experience and usefulness in young children is sparsely reported. Three nNO sampling methods were examined and compared as first-line tests for PCD. Healthy subjects, confirmed PCDs, consecutive referrals with PCD-like symptoms and patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) had nNO sampled during breath hold (BH-nNO), oral exhalation against resistance (OE-R-nNO) and tidal breathing (TB-nNO) aiming to expand age range into infancy. 282 subjects, 117 consecutive referrals, 59 PCDs, 49 CF patients and 57 healthy subjects, were included. ⋯ A problematic high fraction (39%) of false positive TB-nNO was found in young children. An unexpected large fraction (6.8%) of PCDs had nNO values above cut-off. nNO is a helpful first-line tool in real-life PCD work-up in all age groups if the sampling method is chosen according to age. nNO can be misleading in a few patients with true PCD. Further studies are strongly needed in young children.