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Smoke exposure, airway symptoms and exhaled nitric oxide in infants: the Generation R study

Depts of ¹ Paediatric Respiratory Medicine, ² Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and ³ Paediatrics, Erasmus Medical Center, Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, ⁴ On behalf of the Generation R study group. For full details see the Acknowledgements section.

CORRESPONDENCE: J. C. de Jongste, Dept of Paediatric Respiratory Medicine, Erasmus University Medical Center/Sophia Children's Hospital, P.O. Box 2060, 3000 CB, The Netherlands. Fax: 31 107036811. E-mail: j.c.dejongste{at}erasmusmc.nl

Keywords: Early respiratory morbidity, exhaled nitric oxide, post-natal exposures, prenatal exposures, prospective birth cohort

Received: October 9, 2007
Accepted March 20, 2008

The effect of pre- and post-natal smoke exposure on exhaled nitric oxide fraction (F_eNO) in infants was evaluated and the association between respiratory symptoms and F_eNO in the first 2 months of life was investigated. The Generation R study is a population-based, prenatally recruited birth cohort.

Exposures were assessed by means of questionnaires prospectively administered during pregnancy and after birth. Successful off-line F_eNO measurements during tidal breathing were obtained in 187 infants (median age 6.9 weeks). The association between possible determinants and log F_eNO was investigated with multiple linear regression analysis.

Infants exposed pre- and post-natally to smoke showed lower F_eNO than infants exposed only after birth (geometric mean difference (95% confidence interval) 1.5 (1.0–2.1) ppb) and never-exposed infants (1.4 (1.0–1.8) ppb). F_eNO was reduced in infants with severe upper respiratory symptoms compared with infants with nonsevere symptoms (1.6 (1.0–2.4) ppb). Infants with symptoms of the lower respiratory tract had lower F_eNO than asymptomatic infants (1.2 (1.0–1.50) ppb).

In conclusion, the nature of the association between smoke exposure and exhaled nitric oxide fraction is dependent on timing and intensity of exposure. The occurrence and the severity of respiratory symptoms in the first 2 months of life are associated with lower exhaled nitric oxide fraction.