The Relation between Asthma, Body Fat Distribution and Serum Adiponectin in Obese Egyptian Children.

Abstract

Childhood obesity is an emerging global public health challenge. That is because the prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents has increased greatly in all parts of the world. A number of studies have reported an inverse relation between respiratory function and various indices of obesity or fat distribution (El-Baz et al., 2009). Adiponectin, an antiinflammatory adipocytokine, circulates at lower levels in the obese, which is thought to contribute to obesity-related inflammatory disease as bronchial asthma ( Medoff et al., 2009). Aim of the work The aim of this work was to assess the correlation between the bronchial asthma, obesity, fat distribution and serum adiponectin in obese Egyptian children. Subjects and Methods The present study included a group of obese fifty (50) children (25 boys & 25 girls) without the co morbidities of the metabolic syndrome; aged 7-18 years, mean age (14.2±3.9). Obesity without the co morbidities of the metabolic syndrome was defined as a BMI above the 85th percentiles according to BMI Charts of Egyptian Growth Charts for boys and girls from 2-21 years (2002). They were compared to thirty (30) lean sex and age matched controls mean age (14.1±4.8) (15 boys & 15 girls) with BMI between the 10th and 75th percentile. Anthropometric measurements (body weight, BMI, WC and fat mass% by DEXA) were done for all children together with pulmonary function test and assessment of serum adiponectin levels. Results Weight, Waist circumference (WC), Body mass index (BMI), fat mass% and adiponectin were significant higher in obese compared to non obese groups (p 0.05 for both). A negative association of BMI with parameters of pulmonary function was found but only FEV1, FVC & FEF 25% were statistically significant(p 0.05). In the present study a negative correlation was found between fat mass % and parameters of pulmonary function but none of them was statistically significant (p>0.05 for all). A negative significant correlation was found between adiponectin and age in obese group (p>0.05) .As regard anthropometric parameters in obese group a significant negative correlation was found between adiponectin and BMI, WC & fat mass %(p 0.05). As regard of pulmonary function parameters a negative significant correlation was found between serum adiponectin and FVC and PEF %( p 0.05), While no correlation was found with FEV1FVC ratio (p>0.05). Conclusion: The increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity among Egyptian children may be an important contributor to the increasing incidence and prevalence of asthma. Adiponectin may be one of the signals linking obesity with asthma.