title: [Obesity and the severity of asthma crisis].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Obesity is associated with inflammatory processes, which could influence the airway inflammation that is found in patients with asthma. Obesity may thus have a role in the development of asthma. However, the role of obesity in the severity of acute asthma has not been well described.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a retrospective study, which included 77 patients hospitalized for acute asthma. Two groups of patients were formed according to their body mass index (BMI): group 1 consisting of 59 patients with a BMI inferior to 30 kg/m(2) and group 2 consisting of 18 patients with a BMI superior or equal to 30 kg/m(2). These two groups were compared according to demographic factors, clinical features and the spirometric severity of asthma.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age was 43 ± 17.4 years with a sex-ratio 0.57 (28 men/49 women). Thirty-one percent of these patients had a severe asthma attack requiring hospitalization in intensive care in four patients with the use of mechanical ventilation in two patients. The comparison between obese and non-obese patients did not show a significant difference in the severity of asthma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although a contribution of obesity to the manifestation and severity of asthma is commonly recognized, the present data to not confirm the impact of obesity on the severity of acute attacks.
authors.affiliation: Service de pneumologie, hôpital Tahar Sfar de Mahdia, 5100 Mahdia, Tunisie. Electronic address: leila_boussoffara@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Boussoffara
authors.affiliation: Service de pneumologie, hôpital Tahar Sfar de Mahdia, 5100 Mahdia, Tunisie.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Boudawara
authors.affiliation: Service de pneumologie, hôpital Tahar Sfar de Mahdia, 5100 Mahdia, Tunisie.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Touil
authors.affiliation: Service de pneumologie, hôpital Tahar Sfar de Mahdia, 5100 Mahdia, Tunisie.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: El Fahem
authors.affiliation: Service de pneumologie, hôpital Tahar Sfar de Mahdia, 5100 Mahdia, Tunisie.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sakka
authors.affiliation: Service de pneumologie, hôpital Tahar Sfar de Mahdia, 5100 Mahdia, Tunisie.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Knani
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
keywords: Acute asthma; Asthma; Asthme; Crise; Obesity; Obésité; Severity; Sévérité