PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Gaia Mandolesi
AU  - Marco Contoli
AU  - Brunilda Marku
AU  - Eva Bernardi
AU  - Luca Pomidori
AU  - Annalisa Cogo
TI  - Obese asthmatics have reduced exercise capacity and higher ventilation than non-obese asthmatics
DP  - 2012 Sep 01
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - P4448
VI  - 40
IP  - Suppl 56
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/P4448.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/P4448.full
SO  - Eur Respir J2012 Sep 01; 40
AB  - Obesity is a modifiable risk factor of asthma (Beuther 2007). Regular exercise is associated to better asthma control but little is known about the exercise capacity and physical activity level (PAL) in obese asthmatics.Aim Analyze exercise capacity, ventilation (VE) during exercise, physical activity and QoL in obese compared with normal weight asthmatics.Methods 48 asthmatics (29F), age 57,4±11, regularly visited at Asthma Center of Ferrara University Hospital were submitted to spirometry, 7 days PAL monitoring (Armband®), QoL questionnaire (AQLQ) and walking test (6MWT) with VE analysis (Spiropalm, Cosmed).Results 19 subjects were obese (OB), 17 overweight (OW), 12 normal weight (NW). FEV1% was < in subjects with BMI ≥ 25 (72.1±17 vs 81.5±17, ns). PAL (METs) in OB was < OW and NW(1,3±0,2 vs 1,5±0,3; 1,5±0,2, *) independently from the severity of obstruction. No difference in QoL was found.OB and OW showed a reduced exercise capacity and SpO2% in comparison to NW.View this table:table 1No difference in dyspnea Borg scale (0-10).VE analysis during 6MWT: OB showed a higher maximal increase (%) in VE than NW, independently from the level of obstruction and mainly due to the increase in tidal volume (TV).View this table:table 2Conclusions In asthmatics, obesity influences negatively the daily physical activity and exercise capacity through mechanisms which appear independent from the severity of bronchial obstruction.