Children with asthma who are overweight are more likely to experience symptoms after exposure to indoor air pollution than normal-weight asthmatic children, according to a new study.
The research, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, investigated 148 children with persistent asthma, aged 5-17 years, to assess the influence of weight on the effects of indoor exposure to pollutants on a range of asthma symptoms.
4% of the children were underweight, 52% were normal weight, 16% were overweight, and 28% obese. The team measured the amount of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and fine particulate matter measuring less than 2.5 mm in diameter (PM2.5) in the bedrooms of the children.
The results found that overweight and obese children had significantly more asthma symptoms associated with exposure to the pollutants, than normal-weight children. In the previous 2 weeks, children in these categories had approximately 0.7 more days of exercise-related symptoms and 0.6 more nights waking with asthma symptoms than normal-weight children with asthma.