Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2022 Jul 20;14(14):2968.
doi: 10.3390/nu14142968.

Comparison of Pulmonary Function and Inflammation in Children/Adolescents with New-Onset Asthma with Different Adiposity Statuses

Xiaolan Ying  1 , Jie Lin  1 , Shuhua Yuan  1 , Chunhong Pan  1 , Wenfang Dong  1 , Jing Zhang  1 , Lei Zhang  1 , Jilei Lin  1 , Yong Yin  1 , Jinhong Wu  1
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Comparison of Pulmonary Function and Inflammation in Children/Adolescents with New-Onset Asthma with Different Adiposity Statuses

Xiaolan Ying et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

(1) Background: The relationship between obesity and asthma is still uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the effect of overweight/obesity on the pulmonary function of patients with new-onset pediatric asthma and explore the possible causative factors related to concomitant obesity and asthma. (2) Methods: Patients aged 5 to 17 years old with newly diagnosed mild to moderate asthma were recruited from June 2018 to May 2019, from a respiratory clinic in Shanghai, China. Participants were categorized into three groups: normal weight, overweight, and obese asthma. A family history of atopy and patients' personal allergic diseases were recorded. Pulmonary function, fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), eosinophils, serum-specific immunoglobulins E (sIgE), serum total IgE (tIgE), and serum inflammatory biomarkers (adiponectin, leptin, Type 1 helper T, and Type 2 helper T cytokines) were tested in all participants. (3) Results: A total of 407 asthma patients (197 normal weight, 92 overweight, and 118 obese) were enrolled. There was a reduction in forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC), FEV1/FVC%, and FEF25-75% in the overweight/obese groups. No difference was found between the study groups in the main allergy characteristics. Leptin levels were higher while adiponectin was lower in asthmatics with obesity. Higher levels of IL-16 were found in overweight/obese asthmatic individuals than in normal-weight individuals. (4) Conclusions: Obesity may have an effect on impaired pulmonary function. While atopic inflammation plays an important role in the onset of asthma, nonatopic inflammation (including leptin and adiponectin) increases the severity of asthma in overweight/obese patients. The significance of different levels of IL-16 between groups needs to be further studied.

Keywords: adolescents; asthma; atopy; body mass index (BMI); children; inflammation; obesity; pulmonary function.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

    1. Chen Y.C., Dong G.H., Lin K.C., Lee Y.L. Gender difference of childhood overweight and obesity in predicting the risk of incident asthma: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Obes. Rev. 2013;14:222–231. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-789X.2012.01055.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Zhang Z., Lai H.J., Roberg K.A., Gangnon R.E., Evans M.D., Anderson E.L., Pappas T.E., Dasilva D.F., Tisler C.J., Salazar L.P., et al. Early childhood weight status in relation to asthma development in high-risk children. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 2010;126:1157–1162. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2010.09.011. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Jartti T., Saarikoski L., Jartti L., Lisinen I., Jula A., Huupponen R., Viikari J., Raitakari O.T. Obesity, adipokines and asthma. Allergy. 2009;64:770–777. doi: 10.1111/j.1398-9995.2008.01872.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Scholtens S., Wijga A.H., Seidell J.C., Brunekreef B., de Jongste J.C., Gehring U., Postma D.S., Kerkhof M., Smit H.A. Overweight and changes in weight status during childhood in relation to asthma symptoms at 8 years of age. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 2009;123:1312–1318.e1312. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2009.02.029. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Black M.H., Zhou H., Takayanagi M., Jacobsen S.J., Koebnick C. Increased asthma risk and asthma-related health care complications associated with childhood obesity. Am. J. Epidemiol. 2013;178:1120–1128. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwt093. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types