Besides smoking cessation, FEco testing can also be useful for patients with which condition?

FEco, or fractional exhaled nitric oxide testing, is primarily used to assess airway inflammation, which is particularly relevant in the context of asthma and other respiratory conditions. In patients with asthma, elevated levels of nitric oxide in exhaled breath can indicate eosinophilic airway inflammation, guiding treatment decisions.

In the case of obstructive sleep apnea, while this condition is primarily related to the upper airway and does not directly involve airway inflammation like asthma does, patients with sleep apnea can also experience various cardiovascular and respiratory complications. In this context, FEco testing can provide useful information regarding underlying airway issues in patients who might also have comorbid respiratory conditions. This helps clinicians not only identify but also manage the respiratory component in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

Therefore, FEco testing has relevance for understanding airway inflammation in conditions where airway responsiveness and inflammation are pivotal, which is characteristic of asthma and can also be seen with patients who have sleep apnea.