The Journal of asthma : official journal of the Association for the Care of Asthma
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Evidence supports a significant yet weak association between high-body weight and asthma in children. However, most studies investigating the obesity-asthma link use Body Mass Index (BMI) to evaluate body fatness. The relationship between body fat distribution and asthma remains largely unknown, especially in children. This pediatric case-control investigation examined associations between central obesity/high-body weight and asthma diagnosis. ⋯ Presence of central obesity and high-body weight (at least overweight) as assessed by waist circumference, waist-to-height ratio, and BMI are associated with asthma diagnosis. More studies are needed, especially in children and adolescents, to confirm these findings and better understand how body fat distribution impacts the obesity-asthma relationship.
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To determine the cost-effectiveness of omalizumab compared with routine clinical practice in the treatment and control of severe persistent asthma. ⋯ Our results confirm that adding omalizumab to the treatment of patients with uncontrolled severe persistent asthma reduces the number of exacerbations with ER visits and increases health-related quality of life after 10 months of treatment and produces ICERs favorable to omalizumab and acceptable from the health system perspective.