Abstract
Introduction: Obesity is nowadays a public health problem and it is common in asthmatic patients. Its prevalence appears to be increased in patients with difficult asthma. The purpose of our study is to determine the clinical and the progressive features of difficult asthma in obese patients.
Methods: This is a comparative retrospective study of 95 patients followed in our Department for difficult asthma from January 2000 to December 2016. Patients were divided into 2 groups, group1 (G1) consisting of obese patients with a Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥ 30 Kg / m², and group 2 (G2) consisting of patients with a BMI <30 Kg / m².
Results: The first group (G1) included 27 patients and G2 included 68 patients. The mean age of patients was 58, 2 ± 14 years for G1 and 50.9 ± 17 years for G2 (p = 0.02). Smoking was more common in G1 patients (44.4% versus 32.2%) but the difference was not statistically significant. Familial atopy was reported in 44.4% of G1 patients versus 39.7% of G2 patients (p = 0.03) and personal atopy was found in 51% of G1 versus 38% of G2 (p = 0.02). The respiratory function showed worse values in obese patients. In fact, for G1, the mean FEV1 was 1273ml versus 1708ml for G2 (p = 0.005). Moreover, obesity in difficult asthma was related to a greater number of hospitalizations in intensive care for severe acute asthma: 0.6 / year for G1 versus 0.2 / year for G2 (p = 0.04).
Conclusion: Obesity is a poor prognostic factor in patients with difficult asthma. Appropriate handling of obesity would be recommended to improve the management of difficult asthma.
Footnotes
Cite this article as: European Respiratory Journal 2019; 54: Suppl. 63, PA2562.
This is an ERS International Congress abstract. No full-text version is available. Further material to accompany this abstract may be available at www.ers-education.org (ERS member access only).
- Copyright ©the authors 2019
