Obesity – a well-recognized risk factor for diabetes, coronary artery disease, as well a few cancers – is also an important risk factor for asthma. It can present itself as a distinct asthma phenotype. Obese-asthmatics are likely to present with additional morbidity costs in terms of increased health care utilization, significant loss of working days and an overall poorer quality of life. This article discusses this phenotype, and explains the pathophysiological mechanism and impact of this on morbidity, disability and health care utilization in obese-asthmatic individuals.
Reprinted with permission of ON THE RISK, Journal of the Academy of Life Underwriting (www.ontherisk.com).