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Asthma and Obesity

November 30, 2018

New Link Between Childhood Asthma and Obesity

 

A new study from Duke University Medical Center including data from more than 500,000 children in the United States suggests that obesity could be the cause of 23 to 27 percent of asthma in children who are obese.
 
Almost 1 million children in the US might have avoided having asthma by maintaining a healthy weight. According to Jason E. Lang, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics at Duke stated, "Asthma is the No.1 chronic disease in children and some of the causes such as genetics and viral infections during childhood are things we can't prevent. Obesity may be the only risk factor for childhood asthma that could be preventable..."
 
The study found that children classified as obese had a 30 percent increased risk of developing asthma then their peers at a lesser weight. Scientists have been exploring other hypothesis' such as how children's lungs and airways develop when they are overweight.
 
Chicago Allergy & Asthma finds these results to be consistent with our clinical practice.  The obesity epidemic is increasingly apparent in our communities, and we are doing our best to fight the complications.  The medical community is increasingly finding that preventing childhood obesity has important benefits.
 
"I think it's reasonable to be concerned that it's a causal relationship," Lang said. "It appears becoming overweight or obese as a child significantly increases your risk of developing asthma, and it's a significant increase, directing attention again to the importance of preventing obesity at an early age."
 
ref: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/11/18112609321