Obesity is a risk factor for asthma but the reasons for this are poorly understood. This study recruited a cohort of obese women with asthma and obese control women. They were followed for 12 months after bariatric surgery. Obesity was associated with increased markers of inflammation in serum and adipose tissue, and yet decreased airway inflammation in obese people with asthma; these patterns reversed with bariatric surgery. Leptin and other adipokines may be important mediators of airway disease in obesity through direct effects on the airway rather than by enhancing airway inflammation.
This article was included in my monthly review of the top asthma articles at the website of the World Allergy Organization (WAO).
References:
Obesity and Asthma: An Inflammatory Disease of Adipose Tissue Not the Airway. Olga Sideleva et al. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. October 1, 2012 vol. 186 no. 7 598-605.
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