Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0028754 (obesity)
 124,988 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Although it has been speculated that rising asthma rates may be partly due to increasing obesity, the causal mechanisms that relate these conditions are unclear. We assessed the extent to which sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) may explain associations between obesity and wheezing/asthma. A total of 788 participants (aged 8-11 years) in a community-based cohort study were classified according to two outcomes: wheezing and asthma. Sleep apnea was defined as an increased number of apneas and hypopneas on overnight monitoring. SDB was identified on the basis of either sleep apnea or habitual snoring. Multiple logistic regression models showed that children with wheeze were significantly more likely to be male (odds ratio [OR] 1.62; confidence interval [CI] 1.15, 2.29), black (OR 1.90; CI 1.35, 2.29), obese (OR 1.57; CI 1.10, 2.44), and have a maternal history of asthma (OR 1.93; CI 1.16, 3.22). Further adjustment for SDB attenuated the association between obesity and wheeze (OR 1.45; CI 0.93, 2.26), but did not substantially alter the association between obesity and asthma. We conclude that SDB and obesity each are associated with asthma and wheeze. The relationship between obesity and wheeze may be partly mediated by factors associated with SDB.
 ...
PMID:Associations of obesity, sleep-disordered breathing, and wheezing in children. 1559 75

Asthma is a severe problem among inner city children, and recent evidence suggests that both allergen exposure and lifestyle can impact the disease early in childhood. This study was designed to investigate the association between physical activity and wheezing among a population of inner city children enrolling in Head Start. The parents of children aged 3-5 years responded to a questionnaire (N = 144) to determine the presence and severity of wheezing and asthma. Information was also gathered regarding home environment, food frequency, and presence of other allergic diseases. Serum was obtained to measure total IgE and specific IgE levels to common allergens. Height and weight for body mass index were recorded. Lastly, motion sensor wristwatches (Actiwatch) were worn continuously by a subset of these children (n = 54) for 6 or 7 days. Physical activity measured with the motion sensor was decreased among children with a history of wheezing. The significant differences involved those measures of activity relating to prolonged or sustained physical activity. The correlates of asthma associated with decreased levels of physical activity included: 1) a history of wheezing in the last 12 months, 2) the diagnosis of asthma, and 3) presentation to the emergency room in the last 12 months for wheezing or asthma. In a preschool-age population, decreased physical activity was observed among children with a history of asthma or wheezing. Decreased physical activity could contribute to persistence of asthma or put children at higher risk for obesity and other chronic diseases.
 ...
PMID:Decreased physical activity among Head Start children with a history of wheezing: use of an accelerometer to measure activity. 1585 99

Asthma and obesity in children are common chronic conditions and both disorders have been increasing in the last 2 to 3 decades. The changes of dietary habits and a sedentary life style could have played a role in increasing the prevalence of both conditions. The aim of this report is to analyse the relation between some respiratory conditions (current wheezing, asthma and chronic cough) with dietary habits, body mass index (BMI), the physical activity and the habit to watch television. A total of 19,995 children (10,294 males and 9701 females) were investigated. Current wheezing is associated with increased BMI (V quintile OR=1.65), TV watching (more than 5 h/day OR=1.53), adding salt to the foods (OR=2.45), and fizzy drink (5 times or more per week OR=1.31). Children who often eat tomatoes, fruits, cooked vegetables and citrus fruits have a lower risk of current wheeze. The pattern of association is similar for asthma. High BMI, TV watching, adding salt to foods, and fizzy drink are risk factors for chronic cough. An increased BMI and TV watching are strongly related to respiratory symptoms. Our data confirm that dietary factors such as salt, vegetables and fruits are associated with the prevalence of respiratory symptoms in children.
 ...
PMID:[Dietary habits, life styles and respiratory symptoms in childhood]. 1612 53

This study examined the prevalence of and risk factors for wheezing and asthma in rural Minnesota adolescents. A survey querying about wheezing, asthma, farm residence, and other respiratory-related factors was administered to all 9th to 11th grade students (N = 13,490) in a stratified, random sample of high schools in rural Minnesota. Nearly one in 8 (12.6%) students reported ever-diagnosed asthma, and 9.2% reported current asthma. Students living on farms reported less wheezing and asthma than rural non-farm students. Obesity and smoking were associated with wheezing and asthma in all rural adolescents. Asthma rates increased with age among girls and may be largely accounted for by simultaneous increases in smoking rates. Despite the apparent protective effect of farm residence, asthma remains a significant public health issue among rural Minnesota adolescents.
 ...
PMID:Asthma among rural Minnesota adolescents. 1631 75

Obesity has been pointed out as a risk factor for higher prevalence of asthma and asthma-related symptoms in adolescents. The objective was to evaluate the relationship between the prevalence of asthma and obesity in adolescents living in Santa Maria and surroundings (state of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil), applying the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) protocol. A total of 4,010 of 6,123 schoolchildren, 13 to 14 years of age, enrolled in the ISAAC phase III protocol (asthma core questionnaire) and were nutritionally evaluated: height, weight, and triceps skinfold (TSF) measurements. Prevalence of asthma (wheeze in the last 12 months) and prevalence of severe asthma (two or more affirmative responses to: more than 4 acute attacks of asthma, speech disturbance, sleep disturbance, wheezing with exercise) were evaluated and compared according to their nutritional status: obese and non-obese. Obese adolescents were defined by body mass index (BMI, in kg/m(2)) > or =85th percentile and TSF > or =85th percentile. Obese and non-obese groups were compared for prevalence of asthma and asthma severity using the Chi-square test and odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval. Analyzing all adolescents, we observed a significant positive relationship between the prevalence of obesity and affirmative responses to "wheeze ever" (OR = 1.28; 95% CI 1.08-1.52), "wheezing with exercise" (OR = 1.36; 95% CI 1.11-1.66), "asthma ever" (OR = 1.29; 95% CI 1.03-1.62), and severe asthma (OR = 1.55; 95% CI 1.12-2.14). Among the boys, there was a significant positive association between obesity and "wheeze ever" (OR = 1.49; 95% CI 1.13-1.86). In girls, there was a significant positive relationship with "asthma ever" (OR = 1.38; 95% CI 1.01-1.88) and "wheezing with exercise" (OR = 1.36; 95% CI 1.11-1.66). This cross-sectional study with adolescents living in the southern region of Brazil showed that there is a positive association between obesity and prevalence of asthma symptoms and asthma severity, a finding mainly confined to girls.
 ...
PMID:Obesity and its relationship with asthma prevalence and severity in adolescents from southern Brazil. 1644 67

Obesity and asthma are public health priorities in developed countries. Genes which may contribute to the control of both conditions include those encoding for the beta2-adrenergic receptor, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and the insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). Prospective studies consistently supported a link between obesity and reported wheezing or asthma diagnosis in children. However, there are still no clear explanations for such a link. On one hand, overweight asthmatic children may perceive their asthma as worse. On the other hand, atopic sensitization and bronchial hyper-reactivity do not explain the observed associations. After puberty, the association between asthma and obesity tends to be stronger in girls than in boys. It is conceivable that severe obesity in adolescent females may aggravate asthma through mechanisms different from those linking prepubertal obesity to unremitting asthma in males. Future studies should therefore address multiple age- and gender-specific hypotheses about the mechanisms that link obesity to asthma throughout childhood.
 ...
PMID:The asthma-obesity link in childhood: open questions, complex evidence, a few answers only. 1743 Mar 42

Obesity is a worldwide epidemic and is known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain forms of cancer. In addition, obesity is now recognized as an important risk factor in the development of several respiratory diseases. Of these respiratory diseases, it has already been well established that obesity can lead to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and obesity-hypoventilation syndrome (OHS). More recent data suggest that the prevalence of wheezing and bronchial hyper-responsiveness, two symptoms often associated with asthma, are increased in overweight and obese individual. Indeed, epidemiological studies have reported that obesity is a risk factor for the development of asthma. Furthermore, a number of studies indicate that obesity is also associated with a higher risk of developing deep vein thrombi, pulmonary emboli, pulmonary hypertension, and pneumonia. Finally, weight reduction has been shown to be effective in improving the symptoms and severity of several respiratory diseases, including OSA and asthma. Thus, overweight and obese patients should be encouraged to lose weight to reduce their risk of developing respiratory diseases or improve the course of pre-existing conditions.
 ...
PMID:Obesity and respiratory diseases. 1902 35

Asthma prevalence has increased worldwide; although less so in developed countries recently. This study assessed changes in the prevalence of asthma and related symptoms in the Busselton community since 1966. Cross-sectional respiratory health surveys of Busselton adults were conducted in 1966, 1969, 1972, 1975, 1981, 1990 and 2005-2007. Logistic regression models were used to estimate prevalence rates of asthma, respiratory symptoms, smoking, airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and atopy and to make comparisons in 2005-2007 and previous survey years. Asthma was defined as ever having doctor-diagnosed asthma (DDA). The prevalence of DDA was around 6% from 1966 to 1975, 8% in 1981 and rose to 19% in 2005-2007. From 1981 to 2005-2007, smoking prevalence declined and obesity and atopy increased but changes in these variables explained only a small part of the increase in DDA. Wheeze and cough/phlegm increased but AHR, breathlessness and doctor-diagnosed bronchitis remained relatively stable over the same period. These observations indicate that the increase in DDA is partly explained by increased symptoms and atopy. The lack of changes in AHR and doctor-diagnosed bronchitis suggests that factors such as diagnostic transfer and increased awareness of asthma have also contributed to the rise in prevalence of DDA.
 ...
PMID:Changes in the prevalence of asthma in adults since 1966: the Busselton health study. 1964 35

Epidemiological data show a link between asthma and obesity, suggesting many different mechanisms that may underlie the association. However, diagnosis of asthma is often self-reported by patients or caregivers. Definition of asthma is crucial, particularly in childhood. Obesity can be associated with symptoms commonly attributed to asthma, such as wheezing, dyspnoea and sleep apnoea. Obese subjects are less fit and may have more frequent bouts of breathlessness on exertion accompanied by an exaggerated symptom perception. Therefore, the link between the two diseases should be analysed by focusing not only on reported diagnosis of asthma but also on objective markers that can better characterize the asthma phenotype. These markers should include lung function parameters, bronchial hyper-reactivity, atopic sensitization and indices of lung inflammation. As we look back and move forward, a multidisciplinary approach is increasingly necessary to understand the complexity of obesity and asthma, keeping in mind that diet and exercise could influence both diagnosis and treatment. In the meantime, in clinical settings, physicians should be cautious about diagnosing asthma in obese children on the basis of self-reported symptoms alone and should confirm the diagnosis by using objective measurements and marker evaluations that can better identify asthma phenotype and exclude overdiagnosis.
 ...
PMID:Asthma and obesity in childhood: on the road ahead. 2006 75

Asthma is the most common chronic illness in childhood with challenges that revolve around interventions that can potentially alter the course of the disease and concerns regarding the safety of regular use of controller medications. Recent studies suggest that the use of inhaled corticosteroids in very young children with frequent wheezing episodes and at high risk for asthma, while effective, does not alter the eventual progression to asthma. As a controller medication, the safety of inhaled corticosteroids as regards efficacy and risk are reviewed. The use of as-needed ICS as a strategy to reduce risk of adverse events can be explored in children with mild persistent asthma. The key to risk reduction is to titrate the dose of steroids to the lowest dose needed to achieve asthma control. Aside from inhaled corticosteroids, other controller medications are described within the framework of the updated asthma guidelines released by the NIH-National Asthma Education and Prevention Program in 2007. Other interventions that may attenuate asthma risk and severity include environmental measures towards allergen avoidance and attention to the increasing prevalence of obesity. The use of age-appropriate delivery systems for inhaled medications is also important for asthma control.
 ...
PMID:Special considerations in pediatric asthma. 2046 90


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next >>