title: Prevalence and incidence of asthma related to waist circumference and BMI in a Swedish community sample.
abstract: Both asthma and obesity have become more common in affluent societies during the recent decades and several studies have shown a correlation between the presence of asthma and obesity. In order to further study this association we have investigated a population from a community in southern Sweden, where almost all inhabitants had their body indices measured as part of a study on diabetes at a primary care centre. An asthma unit working with a structured care programme for asthma was available. This organisation enabled us to study whether body mass index and waist circumference was associated with having or developing asthma. There was a significant association between both overweight, increased waist circumference and asthma, P < 0.01. The risk for developing asthma was associated with increased body weight and abdominal circumference, P < 0.05. The increase in asthma morbidity in the overweight subjects was found almost exclusively in the non-atopic asthma patients. This study confirms earlier findings of an increased prevalence of asthma in obese and overweight patients. Increased obesity and especially abdominal obesity is thus a risk factor for asthma, which probably contributes to the high prevalence of asthma in affluent societies.
authors.affiliation: Allergy Centre, University Hospital, SE-581 85, Linköping, Sweden. ulla.nystrom.kronander@lio.se
authors.forename: Ulla Nyström
authors.initials: UN
authors.lastname: Kronander
authors.forename: Melcher
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Falkenberg
authors.forename: Olle
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Zetterström
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001824:Body Constitution; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology