Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Paper
  • Published:

Body weight characteristics of subjects on asthma medication

International Journal of Obesity volume 24, pages 1217–1225 (2000)Cite this article

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Weight gain is a frequently documented side effect after long-term anti-inflammatory treatment with systemic corticosteroid drugs in patients with asthma. In recent years new types of inhaled corticosteroids have been introduced, which act locally and are more rapidly bio-transformed. Even such corticosteroids may have a detectable, clinically relevant systemic side effect on weight. The aim of this study is to investigate if there is any relationship between body weight and asthma medication.

DESIGN: The relationship between asthma medication and body weight was analysed in two combined randomized samples of the adult Swedish population 16–60 y of age (n=17,912). Multivariate logistic regression analyses were carried out to obtain estimates for (1) body mass index (BMI) indicating ‘obesity’ (BMI >29.9 kg/m2) in men and women controlling for self-reported asthma medication, and (2) self-reported asthma medication controlling for BMI. In both cases we furthermore controlled for interview period, age, Swedish region, smoking habits, physical activities and level of education.

RESULTS: We found no significantly higher odds for obesity in men (OR=1.21 (0.55–2.64) or women (OR=1.97 (0.89–4.38) on asthma medication compared to men and women with pharmacologically untreated asthma even after adjustment for smoking habits, physical activities, level of education and other related co-variables. However, we found significant positive associations between obesity and interview period, age and former smoking and inverse significant relationships with the degree of physical activity. We also found significantly higher adjusted odds for asthma, indicated by self-reported asthma medication, in women (OR=2.74 (1.91–3.91)) but not in men (OR=1.57 (0.96–2.56)) with BMI indicating ‘obesity’.

CONCLUSION: There is no strong evidence to suggest that modern pharmacological asthma treatment may contribute much to the development of obesity in either men or women on asthma medication. Adjustment for smoking habits, physical activities, level of education and other related co-variables have minor effects on these relationships. Obesity may still be an independent risk factor for asthma since we observed significantly higher odds for self-reported asthma medication in women and an almost significant relationship in men even after control for BMI and other related co-variables.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Rosenhall L, Skoogh B-E . Inhaled glucocorticoids in the longterm treatment of Asthma. In: Strandberg K, Beermann B, Lönnerholm G (eds) Workshop, Pharmacological Treatment of Bronchial Asthma II, Report no. 1993 I Medical Products Agency: Uppsala September 1992.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Lipworth BJ . Modern drug treatment of chronic asthma BMJ 1999 318: 380–384.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Arner P, Wahrenberg H, Lönnqvist F, Angelin B . Adipocyte β-Adrenoceptor sensitivity influences plasma lipid levels Arterioscler Thromb 1993 13: 967–972.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Amoroso P, Wilson SR, Moxham J, Ponte J . Acute effects of inhaled salbutamol on the metabolic rate of normal subjects Thorax 1993 48: 882–885.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Zahorska-Markiewich B, Waluga M, Zielinski M, Klin M . Pharmacokinetics of theophylline in obesity Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther 1996 34: 393–395.

    Google Scholar 

  6. The International Consensus Report on the diagnosis and management of asthma, Publication no. 92–3091 National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; Bethesda March 1992.

  7. Plaschke P . Corticosteroids in acute asthma. In: Strandberg K, Beermann B, Lönnerholm G (eds) Workshop, Pharmacological Treatment of Bronchial Asthma II, Report no. 1993 I Medical Products Agency: Uppsala September 1992.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Nordenstam I, Wennberg M, Burman K . Svensk Läkemedelsstatistik 95 Apoteksbolaget AB: Stockholm 1996.

  9. Lipworth BJ . Treatment of acute asthma Lancet 1997 350 (Suppl 2): 18–23.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Laningan C, Moxham J, Ponte J . Effects of chronic airflow limitation on resting oxygen consumption Thorax 1990 45: 388–390.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Tattersfield AE, Wilding P . β Agonists and ventilation Thorax 1993 48: 877–878.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Weinberger M, Hendeles L . Theophylline in asthma. [Review article.] New Engl J Med 1996 334: 1380–1388.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Evans DJ, Taylor DA, Zetterstom O, Chung F, O'Connor BJ, Barnes PJ . A comparison of low-dose inhaled budesonide plus theophylline and high-dose inhaled budesonide for moderate asthma New Engl J Med 1997 337: 1412–1418.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Shaheen SO . Obesity and asthma: cause for concern? [Editorial.] Clin Exp Allergy 1999 29: 291–293.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Toogood JH, Hodsman AB, Fraher LJ, Markov AE, Baskerville JC . Serum osteocalcin and procollagen as markers for the risk of osteoporotic fracture in corticosteroid-treated asthmatic adults J Allergy Clin Immunol 1996 104 (4 Pt 1): 769–774.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Sambrook PN . Corticosteroid induced osteoporosis J Rheumatol 1996 23 (Suppl 45): 19–22.

    Google Scholar 

  17. WHO . Obesity, preventing and managing the global epidemic, Report of a WHO Consultation on Obesity, Programme of Nutrition Family and Reproductive Health. WHO: Geneva 3–5 June 1997.

  18. Kuskowska-Wolk A, Bergström R, Boström G . Relationship between questionnaire data and medical records of height, weight and body mass index Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 1992 16: 1–9.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Åberg N . Asthma and allergic rhinitis in Swedish conscripts Clin Exp Allergy 1989 78: 246–252.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Åberg N, Engström I, Lindberg U . Allergic diseases in Swedish schoolchildren Acta Paediatr Scand 1989 78: 246–252.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. SAS Institute Inc . SAS® procedures guide, Release 6.03 edn. SAS Institute Inc.; Cary, NC 1988.

  22. Rothman KJ . Modern epidemiology Little Brown & Co.: Boston, MA 1986.

  23. Dean AG, Dean JA, Coulombier D, Brendel KA et al. Epi Info, Version 6: A word-processing database, and statistics program for public health on IBM-compatible micro-computers Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Atlanta, GA 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Davis HTO, Crombie IK, Tavakoli M . When can odds ratios mislead? BMJ 1998 316: 989–991.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Kuskowska-Wolk A, Bergström R . Trends in body mass index and prevalence of obesity in Swedish men J Epidemiol Community Health 1993 47: 103–108.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. SAS Institute Inc . SAS/STAT® Software: CALLIS and LOGISTIC Procedures, Release 6.04, SAS® Technical Report P-200. SAS Institute Inc.: Cary, NC 1990.

  27. Pijl H, Meinders AE . Bodyweight change as an adverse effect of drug treatment Drug Saftey 1996 14: 329–342.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Hirschberg AL . Hormonal regulation of appetite and food intake Ann Med 1998 30: 7–20.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Camargo CA, Weiss ST, Zhang S, Willett WC, Speizer FE . Prospective study of body mass index and risk of adult-onset asthma Am J Respir Critic Care Med 1998 157 (Suppl): A47.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Shaheen SO, Sterne JAC, Montgomery SM, Azima H . Birth weight, body mass index and asthma in young adults Thorax 1999 54: 396–402.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Tattersfield AE . Limitations of current treatment Lancet 1997 350 (Suppl: II) 24–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Platts-Mills TAE, Sporik RB, Chapman MD, Heyman PW . The role of domestic allergens Ciba Found Symp 1997 206: 173–189.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Weiland JE, Gadek JE . The lung. In Bezman Tarcher A (ed) Principles and practice of environmental medicine Plenum Medical Book Company: New York 1992.

    Google Scholar 

  34. Philip W, James T, Nelson M, Ralph A, Leather S . The contribution of nutrition to inequalities in health BMJ 1997 314: 1545–1549.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Barnes PJ, Pedersen S, Busse WW . Efficacy and safety of inhaled corticosteroids, new developments Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1998 157: S1–S53.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Stenius-Aarniala B, Poussa T, Kvarnström J, Grönlund E-L, Ylikahri M, Mustajoki P . Immediate and long term effects of weight reduction in obese people with asthma: randomised controlled study BMJ 2000 320: 827–832.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Epidemiology, National Board of Health and Welfare, Stockholm, S-106 30, Sweden

    A Hedberg

  2. Obesity Unit, Huddinge University Hospital, Stockholm, S-141 86, Sweden

    S Rössner

Authors
  1. A Hedberg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. S Rössner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to A Hedberg.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hedberg, A., Rössner, S. Body weight characteristics of subjects on asthma medication. Int J Obes 24, 1217–1225 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801382

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801382

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links