April 3 : A meta-analysis of seven studies on severe asthma has shown a 50 per cent increased risk of the disease in fat people.

The results of the study conducted by Dr. E. Rand Sutherland from the National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver and one associate have been published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Dr. Sutherland also noted that the incidence of asthma in overweight men and women were similar.

The researchers believe that targeted interventions against being overweight or obese may help reduce the event of asthma.

“If significant weight loss could be achieved in the population of overweight and obese individuals, it could be estimated that the number of new asthma cases in United States adults might fall by as much as 250,000 per year,” said Dr. Sutherland.

“If that decrease can be extrapolated to the pediatric population, where the annual incidence of asthma is as much as five times higher, the effect of even small changes in mean population body mass index may translate into significant decreases in asthma incidence in children and adults,” added the researcher.

The study showed that obesity causes physiologic impairments in lung function, including reduction in lung volume, chest wall restriction and an increase in the oxygen cost of breathing.

It also showed that obesity contributes to conditions like gatroesophageal reflux and sleep apnea, which can result in breathlessness and wheezing, the conditions that might be mistaken for asthma by patients and clinicians.

“Weight loss studies have shown improvements in lung function and asthma symptoms, but not necessarily in airflow obstruction or airway hyperresponsiveness,” said Dr. Sutherland.

“It is also reasonable to believe that some of the patients with ‘asthma’ may have respiratory symptoms due to obesity but may not meet rigorous objective physiologic criteria for asthma,” said the researcher.

The authors of the study concluded that their findings support the addition of asthma to the list of various diseases that may result due to obesity, including diabetes, sleep apnea, stroke, cardiovascular disease, and arthritis. (ANI)