Source: Annual Congress 2002 - New aspects of asthma epidemiology
Disease area: Airway diseases

Abstract

Obesity is a risk factor for asthma-like symptoms but its assocation with asthma severity is less well understood. In the European Community Respiratory Health Survey information was collected from young adults who reported an asthma attack in the last 12 months or taking medication for asthma and who confirmed they had 'ever' had asthma. Subjects who reported 'continuous trouble with their breathing' (TROUBLEBR), 'shortness of breath walking with other other people of their own age on level ground' (SOBWALK), one or more attacks of asthma per month (ATTACKS), waking with breathlessness one or more times per week (SOBWAKE) and FEV₁ less than 70% predicted (FEV<70). were identified. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the association of body mass index with these outcomes, controlling for gender, age, smoking, family history of asthma and country. Increasing BMI was associated with TROUBLEBR and SOBWALK but not with ATTACKS or SOBWAKE (odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals in table). FEV<70 was associated with BMI greater then 30. The association of BMI with TROUBLEBR was stronger in men than women (p for interaction=0.016). In this community based sample of asthmatics the association of obesity with asthma severity varied depending on the asthma severity marker being considered.

	TROUBLEBR(n=1962)	SOBWALK(n=2079)	ATTACKS (n=1819)	SOBWAKE(n=2069)	FEV<70(n=2061)
BMI <20	1.01(0.58-1.82)	0.75 (0.45 -1.23)	1.16 (0.72-1.85)	0.84 (0.47-1.53)	1.51 (0.83-2.74)
BMI 20-24.99	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00
BMI 25-29.99	0.87 (0.59-1.28)	1.66 (1.24-2.23)	0.98 (0.72-1.33)	1.12(0.77-1.61)	1.05 (0.70-1.57)
BMI 30+	1.70 (1.11-2.62)	2.61 (1.86-3.66)	1.15(0.77-1.70)	1.21 (0.75-1.61)	1.69 (1.03-2.77)

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Citations should be made in the following way:
D. Jarvis, S. Chinn, P. Burney, A. Jaen (London, United Kingdom; Barcelona, Spain). The association of obesity with asthma severity in young adults. Eur Respir J 2002; 20: Suppl. 38, 163

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