Lung de-recruitment in the allergic asthma of obesity: evidence from an anatomically based inverse model.

The increase in asthma associated with the obesity epidemic cannot simply be due to airway hyperresponsiveness from chronic lung compression because chronic lung compression is a feature of obesity in general. We therefore sought to investigate what other factors might be at play in the impaired lung function seen in obese individuals with asthma. We measured respiratory system impedance in four groups-Lean Control, Lean Allergic Asthma, Obese Control, and Obese Allergic Asthma-before and after administration of albuterol.