Nasal Nitric Oxide Levels in Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE)

A Pilot Study: Nasal Nitric Oxide Levels in Eosinophilic Esophagitis.

This study is aimed at understanding whether oral nitric oxide levels can be used as a non-invasive marker for the diagnosis and management of patient with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE).

Nitric oxide (NO) is produced by activated eosinophils and oral NO levels are known to be elevated in asthma and eosinophilic bronchitis. The measurement of oral NO is a non-invasive,easy to perform low cost procedure that is used frequently in the diagnosis and management of asthma. The diagnosis of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) requires conscious sedation, an upper endoscopy with biopsy, and histologic evaluation of the biopsy specimen. This is a costly and somewhat invasive procedure. If oral NO was elevated as a result of activity of esophageal eosinophils in EoE, the measurement of oral NO may potentially be a very convenient and useful test in the evaluation and treatment of EoE. We propose a pilot study to determine if oral NO levels are elevated in patients with eosinophilic esophagitis.

Inclusion criteria:

• Subjects with dysphagia and active esophageal infiltration (esophageal eosinophilic count of >/= 15 eos/hpf)
• Subjects with or without a clinical diagnosis of asthma

Exclusion criteria:

• Subjects with chronic cough
• Severe CAD
• MI within the last 3 months
• Cystic fibrosis
• Tuberculosis
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)