• Hayley A Scott, Peter G Gibson, Manohar L Garg, Jeffrey J Pretto, Philip J Morgan, Robin Callister, and Lisa G Wood.
• Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Hunter Medical Research Institute, John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, NSW Australia.
• Resp Res. 2012 Feb 1; 13: 10.

BackgroundThe obese-asthma phenotype is not well defined. The aim of this study was to examine both mechanical and inflammatory influences, by comparing lung function with body composition and airway inflammation in overweight and obese asthma.MethodsOverweight and obese (BMI 28-40 kg/m(2)) adults with asthma (n = 44) completed lung function assessment and underwent full-body dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. Venous blood samples and induced sputum were analysed for inflammatory markers.ResultsIn females, android and thoracic fat tissue and total body lean tissue were inversely correlated with expiratory reserve volume (ERV). Conversely in males, fat tissue was not correlated with lung function, however there was a positive association between android and thoracic lean tissue and ERV. Lower body (gynoid and leg) lean tissue was positively associated with sputum %neutrophils in females, while leptin was positively associated with android and thoracic fat tissue in males.ConclusionsThis study suggests that both body composition and inflammation independently affect lung function, with distinct differences between males and females. Lean tissue exacerbates the obese-asthma phenotype in females and the mechanism responsible for this finding warrants further investigation.

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