Weight gain may make asthma control more difficult

Weight gain may make asthma control more difficult
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Weight gain is associated withan increased risk of poorly controlled asthma, according tofindings presented in Grapevine, Texas, at the annual meetingof the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.
In a 3-year study, the researchers observed 2,396 patientswith severe or difficult-to-treat asthma. Those who gained 5pounds or more between the beginning of the study and 1 yearreported poorer asthma control and worse quality of life thanpatients who maintained their initial weight or lost 5 or morepounds during the same period, researchers reported.
"Our findings are consistent with reports that increases inbody mass index are associated with decreased asthma controland asthma-related quality of life," commented Dr. TmirahHaselkorn, of EpiMetrix, Inc., of South San Francisco."Strategies to prevent weight gain could help patients achievebetter asthma control and improve asthma-related quality oflife."
After considering the potential influence of other knownasthma risk factors, the initial body mass index, co-existingillness, duration and severity of asthma, lung function andoral steroid use, the odds of having poorly controlled asthmaafter 12 months were increased by 22 percent in patients whogained weight during the first year compared to patients whokept a steady weight.
Patients who gained weight were also 31 percent more likelyto have at least one steroid burst in the previous 3 months anda worse quality of life during the next 12 months. A steroidburst is when an asthma patient requires a short-term increasein steroid pills or syrups to reduce the severity of an asthmaattack and avoid an emergency room visit or hospitalization.The burst may last 2 days to several weeks.
"It is not clear if increased body weight or body massindex precedes asthma onset or results from physical andphysiological restrictions imposed by asthma," Haselkorn noted.
"The finding that patients who gained 5 pounds or more hadmore asthma control problems, lower quality of life, and moresteroid bursts suggests that weight gain affected thoseoutcomes rather than vice versa," the researcher added.
Haselkorn cautioned, however, that the relationship betweenbody weight and asthma is complex, with asthma controldetermined by the interaction of many demographic and clinicalvariables.
"Future studies should more closely examine variables thatcontribute to poor asthma control and determine the thresholdat which body weight affects asthma severity and control,"Haselkorn said.
A better understanding of the mechanisms by which bodyweight influences asthma control and other asthma-relatedhealth outcomes will enable treatment specialists to formulatetreatment programs that include a weight management component,"the researcher concluded.