Connecting Childhood Asthma and Obesity
the MPR take:
There is sufficient evidence to support obesity as a risk factor for new-onset asthma, particularly in children. Obesity also can cause complications in management and treatment of asthma; obese children are more symptomatic, have greater odds of ER visits or hospitalizations, and are less responsive to asthma medications compared to normal-weight children with asthma. Hormones related to obesity can also play a role in childhood asthma, as higher levels of leptin and TNF-α connected to obesity can cause inflammation and airway hyperreactivity. Although asthma and obesity can make weight loss in children difficult, medical guidance and gradual exercise can create significant benefits to children with both of these conditions.
For decades, investigators have been documenting associations between obesity and asthma in adults, although the underlying mechanisms involved have remained largely unknown. Ongoing work is revealing a link in children as well and is providing new insights into the potential basis of the ...
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