title: [Body mass index and serum and sputum TNF-alpha levels relation in asthma and COPD].
abstract: Previous studies have revealed the relationship between asthma with obesity and low body mass index (BMI) with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is thought to be related with low BMI. The aim of this study was to determine sputum and serum TNF-alpha levels in patients with COPD and asthma and to evaluate whether these parameters had correlation with BMI. Thirty patients with moderate persistent asthma and 26 patients with moderate -severe COPD were included. After BMI values were calculated, sputum was induced by inhalation of hypertonic saline solution and blood was drawn for analysis of serum TNF-alpha levels. There were significant differences in age, serum and sputum TNF-alpha levels between asthma and COPD subjects (Sputum TNF-alpha: asthma; 513 +/- 151 pg/mL-COPD: 333 +/- 126 pg/mL, p< 0.001; Serum TNF-alpha: asthma; 332 +/- 114 pg/mL-COPD: 197 +/- 81 pg/mL, p< 0.001), however there was no difference in BMI (asthma; 28 +/- 5.7-COPD; 26.6 +/- 12.9, p= 0.1). Patients were divided into four categories according to their BMI values as underweight, normal, overweight and obese. In asthmatics; there were 12 (40%) obese and 11 (36%) overweight patients while 9 (34%) of COPD patients were underweight. No significant difference was observed among these four groups according to serum-sputum TNF-alpha and smoking history both in asthmatics and in COPD subjects. While there was no correlation between BMI and serum-sputum TNF-alpha levels, BMI was significantly correlated with both smoking history and duration of disease in COPD patients. As a result, most of the asthmatic patients were described as overweight and obese while no such variation was noted in the COPD patients. The induced sputum TNF-alpha levels has no additional benefit on serum TNF-alpha levels which has already known to be associated with BMI.
authors.affiliation: Pulmonary Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Kocaeli University, Kocaeli, Turkey. dr_basyigit@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Ilknur
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Başyiğit
authors.forename: Füsun
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yildiz
authors.forename: Elif
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yildirim
authors.forename: Haşim
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Boyaci
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ilgazli
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013183:Sputum / Q000378:metabolism; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism*; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha