Obesity and Asthma

Abstract

Obesity is a major risk factor for the development of asthma, and the prevalence of obesity is higher in people with asthma than in the general population. Obese people often have severe asthma—recent studies in the United States suggest that 60% of adults with severe asthma are obese. Multiple mechanisms link obesity and asthma, which are discussed in this article, and these pathways contribute to different phenotypes of asthma among people with obesity. From a practical aspect, changes in physiology and immune markers affect diagnosis and monitoring of disease activity in people with asthma and obesity. Obesity also affects response to asthma medications and is associated with an increased risk of co-morbidities such as gastroesophageal reflux disease, depression, and obstructive sleep apnea, all of which may affect asthma control. Obese people may be at elevated risk of exacerbations related to increased risk of severe disease in response to viral infections. Interventions that target improved dietary quality, exercise, and weight loss are likely to be particularly helpful for this patient population.

Obesity reprograms the pulmonary polyunsaturated fatty acid-derived lipidome, transcriptome, and gene-oxylipin networks

“…Obesity is associated with poor outcomes for differing pulmonary diseases, including, but not limited to asthma, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and COPD. Obesity also increases the risk for pulmonary infections, including influenza and SARS-CoV-2 (9,37,38). Thus, there is an urgent need to investigate how obesity increases the risk for differing pulmonary diseases and infections.…”

Human matters in asthma: Considering the microbiome in pulmonary health

“…The co-occurrence of asthma and obesity is well-recognized as associative, although mechanistic insights are not fully elucidated. Obesity is a risk factor not only in adults, but also in children, and the increase in the risk of asthma development due to obesity may start in utero (Dixon and Que, 2022). Furthermore, the occurrence of maternal obesity is independently associated with a 15-30% increase in the risk of asthma in the progeny although this risk is also governed by inflammatory mechanisms and pre-/post-natal changes (Dixon and Que, 2022).…”

“…Obesity is a risk factor not only in adults, but also in children, and the increase in the risk of asthma development due to obesity may start in utero (Dixon and Que, 2022). Furthermore, the occurrence of maternal obesity is independently associated with a 15-30% increase in the risk of asthma in the progeny although this risk is also governed by inflammatory mechanisms and pre-/post-natal changes (Dixon and Que, 2022). The role of obesity-associated inflammatory response which can ultimately lead to asthma, and the contributory role diet plays in this relationship has been validated (Calcaterra et al, 2021).…”

Anxiety and Comorbidities Differences in Adults with Chronic Pulmonary Diseases: Serbian Single Center Experience

“…For the patients with asthma, it was shown that numerous comorbidities (respiratory and psychological conditions, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases, obesity, hormonal and metabolic disorders, infections) could be associated with them [ 13 , 14 ]. It should be stated as well that certain comorbidities such as obesity could affect the response to the asthma medications and might increase other comorbidities such as obstructive sleep apnea, depression and other [ 15 ].…”