title: Overweight does not increase asthma risk but may decrease allergy risk at school age after infantile bronchiolitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Increasing evidence suggests that overweight children are at increased risk of asthma. The association between weight gain and allergy is more complex. The aim was to evaluate the association between overweight or obesity and asthma, allergy, bronchial reactivity or atopic sensitization at school age in children with bronchiolitis in infancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-one children hospitalized for bronchiolitis at <24 months of age attended control visits at 7.2 and 12.3 years of ages. The visits consisted of medical examinations, weight and height measurements, body mass index (BMI) calculations, skin prick tests and exercise challenge tests. BMI >1.3 SD from age- and gender-specific references meant overweight and BMI >2.0 SD obesity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Current or previous overweight or obesity did not increase the risk of asthma, allergy, bronchial reactivity or atopic sensitization at 7.2 or 12.3 years of age. Previous and current obesity decreased the risk of atopic dermatitis, and current overweight and obesity decreased the risk of sensitization to outdoor allergens at 12.3 years of age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Previous or current overweight does not increase asthma or allergy risk but current obesity may decrease allergy risk at school age after bronchiolitis in infancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Virpi
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sidoroff
authors.forename: Mari K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Hyvärinen
authors.forename: Eija
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Piippo-Savolainen
authors.forename: Matti
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Korppi
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016535:Bronchial Hyperreactivity / Q000209:etiology; D001988:Bronchiolitis / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000209:etiology*; D006969:Hypersensitivity, Immediate / Q000209:etiology; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications; D050177:Overweight / Q000150:complications*; D012307:Risk Factors