Association between body mass index and asthma severity in Arab pediatric population: A retrospective study.

Narjes Saheb Sharif-Askari,Hanan Abdulgader Sharif,Rifat Hamoudi,Fatemeh Saheb Sharif-Askari,Salah Abusnana,Qutayba Hamid,Aleksandra Barac

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0226957

Narjes Saheb Sharif-Askari, Hanan Abdulgader Sharif + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0226957

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Journal: PloS one	Publication Date: Dec 27, 2019
Citations: 4	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Sharjah

Abstract

Increased body mass index (BMI) has been associated with an increased prevalence of asthma in children, however the association between BMI status and asthma severity has been less well defined. The aim of this study was to describe the association between childhood obesity and asthma severity, frequency of hospital and emergency department visits as well as pattern of aeroallergen sensitization. A retrospective study was conducted at pediatric outpatient clinics in University Hospital Sharjah. All consecutive patients aged 6 years and above, with confirmed diagnosis of asthma visiting the outpatient pediatric clinics during 2018 were included in this study. Sources of information were the patient’s medical file, laboratory data, pharmacy data, as well as reports from the pediatric in charge. This study included 164 children with asthma. 63% of asthma patients were male. The vast majority of patients were from Arab ethnicities (n = 154, 94%), majority had mild asthmatic conditions (n = 133, 81%), and one-third were either overweight or obese (n = 52, 32%). Overweight or obese asthmatic children with BMI percentile of equal or more than 85% was associated with more asthma severity (odds ratio [OR]: 3.27, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.42–7.54; P = 0.005), as well as more frequent asthma related hospital visits (OR: 2.53, 95% CI: 1.22–5.26; P = 0.013). Overweight asthmatic children with BMI between the 85th and 94th percentiles and obese asthmatic children with BMI equal to or greater than 95th percentile are associated with more severe asthma phenotype and more frequent hospital and emergency department visits.

Highlights

Childhood overweight and obesity is a preventable epidemic problem all over the world, a problem that has risen tenfold in the past four decades [1]
Salmeterol medication was more commonly prescribed in obese asthmatic children (8% vs. 23%; P = 0.011)
Results from this study that was conducted among Arab pediatric population suggest that higher body mass index (BMI) contributed to more severe asthma phenotype and more frequent hospital and emergency department visits

Summary

Introduction

Childhood overweight and obesity is a preventable epidemic problem all over the world, a problem that has risen tenfold in the past four decades [1]. In 2010, 43 million children were estimated to be overweight and obese; 92 million were at risk of overweight [2]. The increase in obesity rate has plateaued in many developed countries, the prevalence of childhood obesity is accelerating in developing regions such as the Middle East and north Africa. Relation of body mass index to asthma and atopy in Arab pediatric population [1]. In United Arab Emirates, childhood obesity is a growing problem that has surpassed the international standards [3, 4]. Obesity is associated with chronic inflammation and metabolic dysregulation disturbing many of human systems such as immune, endocrine, cardiovascular and respiratory systems [5]

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