PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Bright Nwaru AU - Hannu Kankaanranta AU - Madeleine Rådinger AU - Jan Lötvall AU - Bo Lundbäck AU - Linda Ekerljung AU - Apostolos Bossios TI - Sensitization to aeroallergens is dominant in overweight to obese asthmatic males but not in females AID - 10.1183/13993003.congress-2021.PA3120 DP - 2021 Sep 05 TA - European Respiratory Journal PG - PA3120 VI - 58 IP - suppl 65 4099 - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/58/suppl_65/PA3120.short 4100 - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/58/suppl_65/PA3120.full SO - Eur Respir J2021 Sep 05; 58 AB - Background: Obesity-related asthma is associated with increased severity and female dominance. Increased aeroallergen sensitization is common in asthma. There remains uncertainty as to what extent aeroallergen sensitization is related to obesity and modified by gender in asthma patients. We examined the frequency of sensitization to aeroallergens by obesity and gender amongst asthmatics.Methods: Within the West Sweden Asthma Study, of 2006 subjects that underwent extensive clinical examinations, 878 were with active asthma. Sensitization to aeroallergens, animal pollen and mite, was defined as a positive IgE level ≥ 0,35 kUA/L.Results: Most of the 878 asthmatics were women (60%). Most were either normal (BMI< 25)or overweight ( BMI 25-29.9), 32% and 41%, respectively. Every fourth patient (27%) was obese (BMI ≥30). Women dominated in each group (66 /55/60,75 % respectively). In the asthmatics with normal BMI, no differences in sensitization to any aeroallergen between men and women (66 % vs. 58 %, p= 0,178 ) were found, while in overweight (72 % vs 44%, p< 0,001) and obese (58 vs 35%, p=0,001) men were significantly more often sensitized than women. The same pattern was observed in poly-sensitization status (sensitization to ≥ 2aeroallergens). Obese women had a lower odds ratio for atopic asthma (0.59 95% CI 0.38-0.91) compared to men.Conclusions: The prevalence of sensitization to aeroallergens is similar between men and women when patients are lean. Among overweight and obese patients, sensitization prevalence is lower among women while remaining higher within men.FootnotesCite this article as: European Respiratory Journal 2021; 58: Suppl. 65, PA3120.This abstract was presented at the 2021 ERS International Congress, in session “Prediction of exacerbations in patients with COPD”.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).