Study Finds Link Between Asthma, Obesity
Posted on: Thursday, 8 February 2007, 18:00 CST
An Australian survey has found one in five asthma sufferers is obese while fewer than half have a normal body mass index.
The study by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare says only about 38 percent of middle-aged asthmatics have a normal body mass index.
The report concluded Australians with asthma, aged between 18 and 64, were more likely to be obese or overweight than those who never had suffered asthma.
Although there is some evidence from longitudinal studies that being overweight or obese raises the risk of the onset of asthma in children, especially among boys, it is not clear whether the link is physiological or due to subsequent changes in lifestyle, the institute said.
About 2 million Australians suffer from asthma, a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways.
The survey found 16 long-term health conditions likely to affect asthma patients more than others. These included allergic and inflammatory conditions such as hay fever, allergy, chronic sinusitis, bronchitis and emphysema.
Migraine, back pain, depression and anxiety-related conditions also were more frequent, the report said.
Source: United Press International
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