Obesity doesn't worsen asthma

DENVER, June 3 (UPI) -- Being overweight or obese does not make asthma worse, however, it may affect how the patient responds to asthma medication, U.S. researchers said.

Researchers at National Jewish Health in Denver said previous studies have suggested obesity predisposes people to developing asthma, to suffer more severe asthma symptoms and to respond less to medications.

Lead author E. Rand Sutherland and colleagues examined 1,256 patients who had participated in a federal study.

Those with a lean body mass index of less than 25 were compared to those with those with a body mass index of 25 or more. Leaner patients had slightly greater lung function, slightly less use of rescue inhalers and slightly higher quality of life.

"These differences were small and are unlikely to be of any real clinical significance," Sutherland said in a statement.

However, among a subgroup of 183 people, lean patients taking inhaled corticosteroids alone showed a 55 percent greater reduction in exhaled nitric oxide, a measure of inflammation.

"The data suggest overweight and obese people respond less well to controller medications for asthma than do their lean counterparts," Sutherland said.

The findings are published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.