Excessive body weight is associated with additional loss of quality of life in children with asthma.
BACKGROUND
Asthma and excessive body weight frequently coexist, whereas the exact relationship between the 2 diseases is unknown.


OBJECTIVE
To study whether asthma combined with excessive body weight has a greater effect on quality of life in children than the separate effects of asthma or excessive body weight alone.


METHODS
In a cross-sectional design, 1758 school children (age 7-10 years) participated: 4 study groups were composed of children with asthma and with/without excessive body weight, and healthy controls with/without excessive body weight. Diagnosis of asthma was defined by either a doctor's diagnosis or by core questions of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire in combination with either reversible airway obstruction or bronchial hyperresponsiveness. Excessive body weight was defined by using international cutoff points for body mass index. Quality of life was evaluated by the Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire.


RESULTS
For all domains of quality of life, children with both asthma and excessive body weight had lower scores than children with either asthma alone or excessive body weight alone. Compared with healthy controls, the score was 25% lower in children with asthma and excessive body weight, 14% lower in children with asthma and normal weight, and only 1% lower in overweight controls.


CONCLUSIONS
Excessive body weight is associated with an additional decrease in quality of life in children with asthma.


CONCLUSIONS
Clinicians should be aware of the interaction between asthma and excessive body weight and the effect on quality of life and should give extra attention to children with both conditions.
van Gent
René
R
Máxima Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics, Veldhoven, The Netherlands. R.vanGent@mmc.nl
van der Ent
Cornelis K
CK
Rovers
Maroeska M
MM
Kimpen
Jan L L
JL
van Essen-Zandvliet
Liesbeth E M
LE
de Meer
Gea
G
D001249:Asthma / Q000150:complications*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications*; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires