Nasal nitric oxide in children with recurrent acute otitis media

Recently, reduced Nasal nitric oxide (nNO) nNO levels have been reported in children with adenoidal hypertrophy predisposing to chronic nasosinusal inflammation. Given the strict anatomic and physiopathologic link between the nasopharyngeal and middle ear compartments, and considering the high prevalence of otitis prone children among those affected with chronic adenoiditis, we designed a study aimed to test any possible difference in nNO levels between non-allergic children with and without recurrent acute otitis media (RAOM) associated with chronic adenoiditis. The study involved 54 children with RAOM (44.4% males; mean age= 7.5±3.5 years) and 51 children without RAOM (47.4% males; mean age= 7.0±3.8 years). nNO levels were significantly reduced in children with RAOM compared to children without RAOM (676.9±250.7 ppb vs 831.8±320.4 ppb, respectively; p= 0.02). Our results could be related to reduced NO production by the ciliated paranasal, nasopharyngeal and middle ear epithelium and the impaired sinusal ostial and Eustachian tube patency due to chronic inflammation, and seem to confirm the involvement of NO pathway in recurrent upper airway infections related to impaired ciliated respiratory mucosa.