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Published on: April 13, 2010
Homeostatic Measure of Insulin Resistance Is Associated With Future Asthma Exacerbations: A 1-Year Prospective Cohort
Si Yang Gao1, Ke Deng1, Ji Wang1
1Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China; Center of Excellence in Severe Asthma and Treatable Traits, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China; Laboratory of Pulmonary Immunology and Inflammation, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-Related Molecular Network, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Background:
Recent evidence suggests that insulin resistance affects asthma outcomes. However, the effect of the homeostatic measure of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) on airway inflammation and asthma exacerbations (AEs) is poorly understood.
Objective:
To analyze the relationship between HOMA-IR and clinical and inflammatory characteristics in patients with asthma, and the association between HOMA-IR and AEs in the following year.
Methods:
A prospective cohort study recruited participants with asthma, who were classified into the HOMA-IRhigh group and HOMA-IRlow group based on the cutoff value of 3.80 for HOMA-IR and were observed within 12 months. We evaluated the clinical and inflammatory features and conducted a 1-year follow-up to study the exacerbations. We used negative binomial regression models to analyze the association between HOMA-IR and AEs.
Results:
Compared with patients in the HOMA-IRlow group (n = 564), those in the HOMA-IRhigh group (n = 61) had higher levels of body mass index, a higher waist circumference and waist-hip ratio, higher triglycerides, lower cholesterol high-density lipoproteins, more neutrophils in the peripheral blood, and elevated IL-5 levels in the induced sputum. Furthermore, patients in the HOMA-IRhigh group had a significantly increased risk for moderate to severe AEs (adjusted incidence rate ratio [aIRR] = 2.26; 95% CI, 1.38-3.70), severe AEs (aIRR = 2.42; 95% CI, 1.26-4.67), hospitalization (aIRR = 2.54; 95% CI, 1.20-5.38), and emergency visits (aIRR = 3.04; 95% CI, 1.80-8.53).
Conclusions:
The homeostatic measure of insulin resistance was associated with asthma-related clinical features and airway inflammation, and was an independent risk factor for future AEs. Therefore, insulin resistance may have important implications for managing asthma as a potential treatable trait.
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