Frequency and correlates of overweight status in adolescent asthma.

Background: Debate exists within the literature concerning whether asthma and obesity are linked as comorbid conditions. Further study is required to understand the relationship between asthma and overweight status, and developmental considerations are an important priority area.

Objective: The present study addressed gaps in the existing literature by comparing rates of overweight status among a matched sample of adolescents with and without asthma and by examining correlates of overweight status among youth with asthma.

Effect of body mass index on response to methacholine bronchial provocation in healthy and asthmatic adolescents.

A linkage between airway hyperreactivity and obesity could partly explain the prevalence of obesity in asthmatics. To test for such a linkage, we analyzed body mass index (BMI), pulmonary function, methacholine bronchial provocation, and asthma severity scores in 216 adolescents (aged 12-18 years), of whom 82 were healthy and 134 were asthmatic. Methacholine provocations in a subgroup of 36 subjects (healthy and asthmatic) enabled us to examine the effects of BMI on dynamic hyperinflation and ventilatory indices during induced bronchospasm.