Patterns of Body Composition Relating to Chronic Respiratory Diseases Among Adults in Four Resource-Poor Settings in Peru.

Purpose: Body composition is known to influence the development and progression of chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs). We sought to characterize the unique anthropometric phenotypes that present with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and chronic bronchitis across four distinct settings in Peru.

Methods: We collected sociodemographic, clinical history, and spirometry data from 2959 participants from Lima, Tumbes, and rural and urban Puno. We compared the prevalence of CRDs among different study sites and described disease phenotypes. We used single and multivariable linear regression to model the influence of CRD status on various descriptors of body composition.

Results: Overall prevalence of CRDs varied across sites with the highest prevalence of asthma in Lima (14.5%) and the highest prevalence of COPD in rural Puno (9.9%). Measures of body composition also varied across sites, with highest mean body mass index (BMI) in Lima (28.4 kg/m) and the lowest mean BMI in rural Puno (25.2 kg/m). Participants with COPD had the lowest mean fat mass index (FMI) (10.5 kg/m) and waist circumference (88.3 cm), whereas participants with asthma had the highest mean FMI (14.5 kg/m), and waist circumference (94.8 cm). In multivariable analysis, participants with COPD had a lower waist circumference (adjusted mean - 2.97 cm, 95% CI 4.62 to - 1.32 cm) when compared to non-CRD participants.

Conclusions: Our findings provide evidence that asthma and chronic bronchitis are more likely to be associated with obesity and higher fat mass, while COPD is associated with being underweight and having less lean mass.