[Bronchial asthma prevalence in children and youth with overweight].
OBJECTIVE
Relationships between bronchial asthma prevalence in children and youth and selected nutritional indices together with fatty tissue distribution were analyzed.


METHODS
The study comprised randomly chosen group of 126 children and youth living in the city of Lodz, between the ages from 9 to 17 years (74 boys, 52 girls) including 25 subjects with mild and 34 with moderate asthma. In all participants basic anthropometric and percentage evaluation of the fat content (FAT%) by means of a bioimpedance method were performed. A level of 85 centiles of the body mass index (BMI) determined on the basis of centile charts was regarded as a criterion for overweight. Fatty tissue distribution was assessed basing on the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR).


RESULTS
In girls with overweight or obesity (BMI > 85%) a statistically significant prevalence of asthma (71.4%; p < 0.01) with different intensity was observed, as compared to girls with a normal BMI (23.7%). Similar tendencies related to the WHR index and the total fat content (FAT%) were also notified. Asthma was found to occur more frequently in the group of girls with overweight or obesity as well as with abnormal (abdominal) distribution of fatty tissue.


CONCLUSIONS
Results reveal significant relations between overweight and abnormal distribution of fatty tissue and asthma prevalence in girls. Such relationships did not appear in the group of boys. Obese children with bronchial asthma--mainly girls--more frequently require a careful approach towards the pharmacological control of asthma due to obesity-related complications e.g. hypertension.
Ostrowska-Nawarycz
Lidia
L
Uniwersytet Medyczny w Lodzi, Zakład Fizjologii Człowieka i Biofizyki.
Wroński
Waldemar
W
Błaszczyk
Jan
J
Buczyłko
Krzysztof
K
Nawarycz
Tadeusz
T
D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D050218:Body Fat Distribution; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015984:Causality; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012737:Sex Factors