People Who Are Obese May Carry Asthma Trait

Main Category: Respiratory / Asthma
Also Included In: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness;  Genetics
Article Date: 06 Aug 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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A new study suggests that people who are obese with asthma may carry a specific trait or phenotype that causes them to have poorer asthma control than people who are not obese with asthma.

Researchers from Quebec, Canada compared pulmonary function changes, methacholine challenge scores, sputum induction cell counts, symptom perceptions, BMI/waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio of 44 obese subjects with asthma with 44 nonobese subjects with asthma.

Compared with those who were not obese, those who were obese had poorer asthma control, as well as lower total lung capacity, expiratory reserve volume, functional residual capacity, and residual volume.

Blood serum C-reactive protein and fibrinogen levels also were higher in obese subjects than nonobese subjects. Bronchial and systemic inflammatory characteristics and patterns of pulmonary function changes suggest that obese patients may have a different phenotype of asthma.

This study is published in the August issue of the journal CHEST.

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CHEST is the official publication of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP). Each month it features cutting edge original research in the multidisciplinary specialties of chest medicine, such as pulmonology, critical care, sleep medicine, cardiorespiratory interactions, thoracic surgery, transplantation, airways disease, and more. CHEST also features Recent Advances, Topics in Practice Management, Medical Writing Tips, Pearls, Chest Imaging and Pathology for Clinicians, Contemporary Reviews, and much, much more. Editorials and communications to the editor explore controversial issues and encourage further discussion by physicians dealing with chest medicine. More than 30,000 readers worldwide turn to CHEST each month to keep up-to-date on the latest in chest-related medicine.

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