title: A cross-sectional study assessing the relationship between BMI, asthma, atopy, and eNO among schoolchildren.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Increased body weight may influence airway inflammatory mechanisms.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess whether overweight-obesity (OW-O), evaluated as increased body mass index, is associated either with exhaled nitric oxide (eNO), a marker of airway inflammation, or with allergic sensitization in a large sample of children and adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional, epidemiological study was performed on a population sample of schoolchildren evaluating 708 subjects (age 10-16 years; BMI 13-39 kg/m(2)) by respiratory health questionnaire, skin prick tests, spirometry, and eNO measure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Prevalence rates were: OW-O 16.4%, asthma ever (A) 11.9%, and rhinoconjunctivitis (RC) 14.8%. Asthma ever and allergic sensitization were significantly more frequent among OW-O (21.0 and 51.6%) than in non-OW-O (10.2 and 37.0%, respectively). The forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV(1))/forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio was not significantly different between OW-O and non-OW-O. Exhaled NO (median and interquartile range) was 15.3 (11.2-23.1) ppb in the overall sample, 20.3 (12.9-35.8) ppb among allergic subjects, and 13.9 (10.6-18.3) ppb among nonallergic subjects (P<.0001). No significant difference between OW-O and non OW-O subjects was found in eNO levels. Similarly, OW-O subjects with A or RC did not show significantly higher eNO levels than non-OW-O. In a logistic regression model, presence of allergic sensitization, A, and RC, and not OW-O, were significant predictors of increased eNO.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In children, OW-O was not associated with increased eNO levels, but it was an independent risk factor for asthma and allergic sensitization.
authors.affiliation: National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Biomedicine and Molecular Immunology, Palermo, Italy. cibella@ibim.cnr.it
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cibella
authors.forename: Giuseppina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cuttitta
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: La Grutta
authors.forename: Mario Raphael
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Melis
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bucchieri
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Viegi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000378:metabolism; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000378:metabolism; D015995:Prevalence; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000378:metabolism; D012802:Sicily / Q000453:epidemiology; D014797:Vital Capacity
chemical_list: D009569:Nitric Oxide