[Effect of obesity on pulmonary function in asthmatic children of different age groups]
Xiao-Wen Xu1, Ying Huang, Jian Wang
1Respiratory Center, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University/ Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders/Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatrics/China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical Disorders, Chongqing 400014, China. huangying62@126.com.
Insights
Obesity significantly impacts pulmonary function in asthmatic children, with effects varying by age. Preschool-aged children show more pronounced effects of obesity on lung function compared to school-aged children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Asthma Research
- Obesity and Health
Background:
- Asthma is a common chronic respiratory disease in children.
- Obesity is a growing concern in pediatric populations and may influence asthma severity.
- Understanding the interplay between obesity, age, and pulmonary function is crucial for effective asthma management in children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of obesity on pulmonary function in newly diagnosed asthmatic children.
- To compare these effects across different age groups: preschool-age (<6 years) and school-age (6 to 12.5 years).
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 294 newly diagnosed asthmatic children was analyzed.
- Children were categorized by age (preschool vs. school-age) and weight status (obese, overweight, normal-weight) using BMI.
- Pulmonary function tests, including large and small airway assessments (FVC%, FEV1%, MEF25%, MEF50%, MEF75%), were performed.
Main Results:
- School-aged asthmatic children exhibited lower FEV1%, MEF25%, and MEF50% compared to preschool-aged children, even after adjusting for sex and BMI.
- In preschool-aged children, obesity was associated with significantly lower FVC%, FEV1%, and MEF75% compared to normal-weight peers.
- The impact of obesity on pulmonary function was more pronounced in preschool-aged children than in school-aged children.
Conclusions:
- The influence of obesity on pulmonary function in asthmatic children is age-dependent.
- Obesity poses a greater risk to lung function in younger children (preschool age) with asthma.
Objective:
To study the effect of obesity on pulmonary function in newly diagnosed asthmatic children of different age groups.
Methods:
Two hundred and ninety-four children with newly diagnosed asthma were classified into preschool-age (<6 years) and school-age (6 to 12.5 years) groups. They were then classified into obese, overweight, and normal-weight subgroups based on their body mass index (BMI). All the children underwent pulmonary function tests, including large airway function tests [forced vital capacity (FVC%) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1%)] and small airway function tests [maximal expiratory flow at 25% of vital capacity (MEF25%), maximal expiratory flow at 50% of vital capacity (MEF50%), and maximal expiratory flow at 75% of vital capacity (MEF75%)].
Results:
The school-age group showed lower FEV1%, MEF25%, and MEF50% than the preschool-age group (P<0.05) after adjustment for sex and BMI. The normal-weight children in the school-age group had lower FEV1%, MEF25%, and MEF50% compared with their counterparts in the preschool-age group (P<0.05). The overweight children in the school-age group showed lower FVC% and MEF50% than those in the preschool-age group. However, all the pulmonary function parameters showed no significant differences between the obese children in the preschool-age and school-age groups. In the preschool-age group, FVC%, FEV1%, and MEF75% of the obese children were lower than those of the normal-weight children. In the school-age group, only FVC% and FEV1% showed differences between the obese and normal-weight children (P<0.05).
Conclusions:
The effect of obesity on the pulmonary function varies with age in children with asthma, and the effect is more obvious in those of preschool age.
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