Obese, Asthma Children in Hospital More

A U.S. study finds obese children with asthma are more likely to be admitted to the hospital for acute asthma exacerbations than non-obese counterparts.

Researchers from the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center conducted a retrospective chart review of 813 children over the age of 2 who presented to the emergency department with asthma exacerbations.

Twenty-seven percent were admitted to the hospital and 4 percent to the intensive care unit. Of the children classified as obese, 34 percent were admitted to the hospital, compared with 25 percent of the non-obese children.

The obese children were also more likely to be older and live in an impoverished area, according to the researchers.

The findings are being presented at the 72nd Annual International Scientific Assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians in Salt Lake City.