Obese kids more likely to wheeze & cough

There is an association between a higher body mass index (BMI) and symptoms of wheezing and cough in children, an association that appears to be stronger in girls than in boys.Researchers from the Austin and Repatriation Medical Centre, Australia, examined whether a higher BMI is associated with a higher prevalence of asthma or allergy symptoms in nearly 6,000 white children between the ages of 7 and 12 years old. Questionnaires were used to collect data on history of doctor-diagnosed asthma, wheeze, cough, and medication use.
It was found that BMI was a significant risk factor for wheezing and cough, after factoring out influences such as sex, age, family history of asthma and allergy, and exposure to cigarette smoke. No association was observed between BMI and recent asthma or airway hyper-responsiveness, which is a heightened reaction to environmental stimuli that leads to inflammation of the airways. When the researchers looked at the data for girls and boys separately, a higher BMI was a significant risk factor for allergy, wheeze and cough in girls only. It was concluded that obesity and asthma are both significant health problems and must be addressed in both children and adults to optimise lung function and quality of life.

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