PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - B. Mahut
AU  - N. Beydon
AU  - C. Delclaux
TI  - Overweight is not a comorbidity factor during childhood asthma (GrowthOb study)?
AID  - 10.1183/09031936.00103311
DP  - 2011 Jan 01
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - erj01033-2011
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/early/2011/09/01/09031936.00103311.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/early/2011/09/01/09031936.00103311.full
AB  - While being overweight is a risk factor for subsequent asthma in children, the importance of body mass index (BMI) as a comorbidity factor remains debated. To assess the relationships between being overweight and the characteristics of childhood asthma.The BMI, BMI z-scores and International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) grades were evaluated in asthmatic children according to atopic status, symptoms in past three months, exercise breathlessness, treatment and lung function in 6–15-year-old children with confirmed asthma.Four hundred ninety-one asthmatic children (10.8±2.6 years; 179 girls) were prospectively enrolled. There were 78 overweight (IOTF grade 1: 15.5%) and 8 obese (grade 2: 1.6%) children. The children's BMI z-scores did not differ according to atopy, exacerbation, symptom-free days or treatment. The BMI z-score positively correlated with FVC and FEV1 in girls, which could be related to earlier puberty of girls being overweight (growth spurt with increased volumes). Compared to normal weight children, overweight plus obese children had reduced lung volume ratios (FRC/TLC and RV/TLC), no evidence of airflow limitation and similar symptoms.In conclusion, the observed functional relationships with BMI are not specific of asthma, and, being overweight is not associated with significant clinical impacts on asthma during childhood.